Bleed Cherry Blossoms: Remember
by Yuhi Sakura
Summary: The battle against the Orden is far from over. And with a former ally and new enemy fueling the flames of destruction, Abel and Sakura are in for the fight of their lives...and those of everyone around them.
1. Requiem

_**Chapter One: Requiem **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Trinity Blood or Naruto! **_

Sakura snapped awake, her viridian eyes centering on the ceiling above her bed. She exhaled softly a moment later, though she didn't attempt to rise. Her emerald green eyes drifted to her right, where Abel was sleeping silently.

She sighed to herself; it had two months since the last of her world had disappeared in a teardrop of light and heat that obliterated the remnants of her old life, her old home. And still she woke up every night at the same time: the hour and minute that that light had filled her eyes, blurred by the feathered edges of Abel's wings.

He had been up with her through most of those nights, holding her if the tears came and willing to subdue her if the nightmares upset the balance of the nanomachine readings in her body, making her hostile. And each time, as she told him, usually tearfully, how sorry she was that he was up _again_ with her, he simply smiled, cupping his hand to her cheek, and telling her it was okay, that he didn't mind and that he loved her.

She reached over, brushing a strand of silver hair away from his face. And then she pulled herself out of the bed as gently as she could so that he wouldn't wake, and slipped into the hall.

It was pitch black, as Caterina usually kept it; Crusnik vision was so keen that the small, dim, blue light on their earpieces, often negligibly visible even to Methuselah, would keep them awake. A hall light, being so much stronger, was therefore out of the question. Still, she could see the hall just fine; she could clearly make out the edges of the walls, and even the decorative edging along the upper borders.

She quickly found herself where she wanted to be: the commons room. It was always quiet around midnight, around the time she consistently found herself with her eyes open. She took a seat in a plush chair, curling her lithe legs beneath her and pulling her robe close around her shoulders.

She leaned back, closing her eyes. But all that flashed before her were images she was trying so desperately to escape: Sasuke falling towards the void of white hot light, Tsunade smiling faintly in resignation, a ring of her friends and comrades being swallowed by a backlash of intensity…

Her eyes snapped open; she had run through that scene a thousand times in her head and on paper. She had reasoned that Tsunade, when she touched Sasuke, had released the seal on her forehead and used the chakra not only to fuel the forbidden jutsu she had chosen but also to suppress his biorhythms, to force the chemicals associated with rage and hate down, to push his dark, disturbing memories beneath his conscious mind. But something about the sheer relief on his face…it made her discount every theory she came up with. There was something so pure about his utter joy in simply being held that affirmed for her that he had never been evil. He had just turned down that path in a moment of hopeless and never knew how to come back.

She sighed again, unsure of how to settle her mind. She had quickly learned that while being a Crusnik had many good facets to it, such as literal immortality since her nanomachine colony had stabilized and a rapid healing factor, it also forced her metabolism into override; medicine was much less effective and pain killers, when needed, had to be stronger in strength, dose and frequently administered. Things weaker than Demerol, such as alcohol, didn't register at all.

She thought about working out, but that, though it would probably function to fatigue her physically, often only kicked her mental state up another notch. The results being that she was exhausted and completely unable even to sit still. And she hadn't been able to meditate for some time---she could center her mind and body, but it was often the constant thrum (the sound of the nanomachines in her body and even her own natural biological processes) in her ears that distracted her, frustrated her, and eventually forced her to simply give up.

And sometimes those nanomachines outright angered her; something about her sudden, inhuman healing factor disturbed her. Within a month and a half of having the transplant, she had realized the scar from her battle with Sasori was fading. It wasn't even faintly visible anymore, and she felt like she was losing the physical memories of the defining moments of her life. She worried she was losing herself entirely, sometimes.

* * *

Caterina watched with mild displeasure at the scene visible from her office window; it was hardly an uncommon one, and normally she was quite pleased to see her operatives working to stay in shape and develop new techniques as well as brush up on old ones. But she had hardly ever seen a scene quite so sloppy from her newest operative.

Abel had been training her fight in her Crusnik mode for a week or two; he wanted to make sure she was acutely aware of her new strength and abilities. An underestimation on her part in battle would spell disaster for a mission, if not the rest of her team, as well. He was also training her to think like one: it was easy to lose yourself to emotion in awakened Crusnik mode; he wanted analytical thinking to be second nature, even though, in dormancy, anyway, it was.

And she had been doing well. She was able to accurately predict the strength, range, and motion of her attacks with very few errors. They could throw literal dozens of variables at her at the same time and she still managed to keep her cool and work effectively with those around her.

But she was clearly not in her usual zone, Caterina realized privately as she lifted a porcelain cup to her ruby-red lips.

Outside of her window in the closed courtyard, Sakura attempted a clumsy landing, only to misjudge the actual slope of the small hill and fall on her back. Abel came down on her from above, and she barely managed to roll to the side and onto her feet before he had knocked her back again with a blow to her stomach from the blunt edge of his scythe.

She used the momentum to her advantage, kicking up into the air and spreading her wings. But he was much faster than she was, and it was all she could do to bring up the arch of her bow with enough leeway to catch his blade. She shoved against his superior weight and force, and for a moment they were locked in equilibrium.

But just as quickly, he had levered the whole of his weapon down, throwing her precarious balance. She jack-knifed at the waist in a desperate and awkward attempt to keep him locked. At that point, it was an easy matter for him to spin, using his wings to generate a blast of air that was more than enough to send her flying back, her weapon dropping to the ground.

Of course, she didn't hit the ground or the high guard wall. By then, he was already behind her, cradling her around the waist and halting her impetus harmlessly.

"Have you fed recently?" He asked as he set her down, landing easily beside her as his hair fell back in a silver curtain around his shoulder. He slid his glasses onto the bridge of his nose as he eyed her with a mixture of a lover's concern and a teacher's admonition.

"The day before yesterday." She replied, finding it harder than usual to return to her dormant state.

"I think you need to start feeding every day." He told her.

"What?!"

"Just for a few weeks, Sakura." He assured her with a kind smile.

She just nodded, sighing to herself. She really wanted to move away from Methuselah blood. It was…it was beyond sheer ecstasy to drink, but she wanted to need it less. He had warned her, of course, that even though her colony had stabilized, she would need to feed more frequently for up to six months to keep it healthy, until the rest of her systems caught up with the nanomachines.

His hand came up under her chin, startling her for a fraction of a second. She flinched, but he didn't turn away or drop his hand.

"Have you been sleeping?" He asked.

She swallowed hard, and in doing so she knew she had already given herself away. Cursing herself for not halting the knee-jerk reaction, she decided lying at that point was useless…and wrong, regardless. She shook her head.

"Nightmares?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Sakura, wake me if you can't sleep. I'm happy to keep you company." He told her, brushing a lock of hair back behind her ear.

She wanted to tell him for the umpteenth time that she felt guilty about waking him. It made her feel weak and stupid. And he would respond that it was no such thing, that it was normal and he loved her and wanted to be there. They had had the conversation a million times. It was a point neither was willing to give ground on. So she didn't say anything in reply.

"Now, go eat." He added, smiling.

She nodded, turning away and reluctantly letting his hand slip from hers.

* * *

The kunoichi eyed the chalice, her reflection staring back at her from the still scarlet surface. She resisted the urge to knock it aside. She knew whose blood it was: Astha's. She had been a donor several times for Abel and the pink-haired female. The Viscountess of Odessa consistently wrote it off as something not even worth acknowledging. And if she was confronted in private, she would have a diplomat response that when translated would mean something like, "You're my friends, my partners. Allow me this." And she claimed that as a noble her blood was likely more potent; and it was. Really, aside from Abel's, Astha's was her favorite. It was rich, potent, sweet, fiery…and it deeply disturbed the Crusnik female that she could even begin to think of her lover and best friend as food…

She shook her head; she could stay there all day analyzing the situation and the cup in front of her. But it wouldn't do her any good. So, before she could talk herself out of it, she raised the cup to her lips and drank. She tried to do it quickly, not to allow herself to taste it. But she still did…

She pushed the cup aside, knowing one of the maids would come and take it later, and decided she needed to get up and do _something_.

* * *

Sakura took another shot, growling at herself when it went awry and punctured an arm on the paper dummy fifty meters out in front of her. She hadn't managed a single head or heart shot in the fifteen practice clips she had used. She lowered the gun, eyeing the numerous, and very poorly-placed and scoring, marks on the paper humanoid shape.

"You're getting sloppy."

Sakura's eyes flickered to the left, but she made no attempt to turn and greet the woman.

"Sister Paula." She replied in quiet recognition.

The Inquisitorial female smirked, stepping up beside her in a sinuous shimmy and grasping the slide of the gun and pulling it up, Sakura's hand still on it. She released it, letting Sakura's arm stay there and smiling viciously.

"I see why, now."

Sakura was about to snap at her that she should just come out and say whatever the hell it was she wanted to. But by then, she had already walked out.

The pink-haired female snorted to herself as she turned back to take another shot. And to her horror, she realized her hands were shaking…Her arms dropped as she leaned against the divider frame wall and sighed.

* * *

Sakura ducked, leaping away from Tres' punch/kick combo only to run into Vaclav's sweeping crescent. She managed a back flip, kicking off of the ground with less than an inch to spare between her and the Professor's cane.

She wasn't even entirely sure what happened, then, when she jumped up, using a tree branch to swing her legs away from Tres' attempts to secure her. All she knew was that the next second she was on the ground, looking up at the sky, and was very, very confused.

"What…just happened?" She asked, blinking to clear her vision.

"You failed to maintain your grip and as a result are currently horizontal with concussive head trauma." Tres replied.

"Great…" She sighed to herself as she sat up.

"Are you alright, Sister? You haven't been yourself for a few days." The Professor asked, kneeling down beside her.

"Yeah…just…tired." She told him.

TBC


	2. Desperate Recourse

_**Chapter Two: Desperate Recourse **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Trinity Blood. **_

Sakura rose from her kneel before the silver crucifix reconstruction in their church. She had been there for some time, she knew, and the sun's position behind her only confirmed her original estimate.

"Sakura?"

She turned around, smiling at Abel as he walked up to her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Praying." She replied.

He didn't need to ask what for. That evening, Francesco de Medici, former Vatican Cardinal and dishonored Duke of Florence and Tuscany, was to be hung. It seemed a primitive means, even to Abel, when the same end could be accomplished with less barbaric methods. But he understood the need for its brutality: The world was only just coming together, reluctant hands reaching across vast expanses of misunderstanding and barely suppressed animosity. No one, not even a Cardinal of the Vatican, could be permitted to jeopardize that.

"I…don't think it's right, Abel." She finally stated. "He…he murdered hundreds. But…his death won't bring them back."

He sighed to himself; he hated himself for what he knew he had to say. "This isn't about their deaths, anymore, Sakura. It's about political stability."

Sakura bit her tongue, unwilling to vent her venomous anger on him. She was mad that the deaths of her friends and family were forgotten so easily and she was angry that a man's life meant nothing more than a treatise on paper. And she was irate that there was nothing she could do.

"Then there's nothing left to speak of." She replied a moment later.

"No, I don't suppose there is." Abel said, holding her.

* * *

Sakura dressed slowly in a black dress; it was a simple piece with a modest neckline and long sleeves that fell to her knees. The skirt flared the slightest bit around her legs and the bodice hugged her gently. She put up her hair, applied no make-up, and slid into her low-heeled black shoes.

She was expected to be there, she knew. All of the AX members were. It was their hard work that had unearthed enough evidence to send him to the scaffold, even without his confession. And, though she was deeply appreciative of them digging through the piles of paperwork, autopsy files, field reports, DNA remnants, and journals when she couldn't bring herself to so much as think of her fallen comrades, she disagreed with what she felt was the murder of a man. A murderer himself, but nonetheless, she felt this meant there could be no reparation, no conclusion for the people he had touched in his endeavors.

She shook her head; it wasn't her place to make that judgment. Clearing her mind and focusing her will, she stepped out of her room and into the ranks of waiting AX members. Abel stood beside her, taking her hand in such a way that no one would see their twined fingers. On the opposite side, the Professor's hand came down on her shoulder. And, together, a single file of men and women, they walked into the courtyard, where hundreds of Methuselah representatives and Vatican personal as well as Albion embassies.

They waited through Caterina's speech, which, though clearly meant to appease the masses gathered there, was also tinged with regret and feelings of affection for him, even in the moment of his death and the wake of his betrayal. And then he was led up the scaffold and the rope was affixed around his neck.

Caterina nodded to the executioner…and the pink-haired female watched as the disgraced Cardinal was led up the scaffold and to the noose. The rope was fixed around his throat and Sakura heard the cloaked and hooded man beside him lean forward and ask him what his last words were. She was so focused on that seen that she didn't even see the flash of silver behind her that a moment later turned into fiery agony as a blade ripped across her back.

She stumbled forward with a cry as her impetus threw her to the ground; blood saturated the ebony cloth of her dress and dripped in thin rivets around her.

"Sakura!" Abel cried, turning to face the threat.

The shrike blade rolled left, and landed in Sister Paula's hands. She stood glaring at them from behind a passive mask, Sakura's blood running down her gloved arm.

"What are you doing, Sister Paula? Stand down." Vaclav said calmly even as he tensed beneath his black uniform.

The woman's eyes just narrowed as she flung her free blade, severing the cord around the former Cardinal's neck.

Sakura groaned as she forced herself up, blood pouring from the wound that extended from between her shoulder blades down to her hip. That was when she heard the thunderous roar of an Inquisition battleship rising above the congregation. She saw it rotate…and turn its main cannons on the Methuselah representatives.

Sakura didn't time to fuse with her nanomachines…There was a dull roar and a sudden flash of blue followed by white…_Iron _Maiden-she hadn't even heard the ship descend from the cloud cover above-had managed a brilliant maneuver, using her main cannon to turn aside the massive Inquisition ship with a concussive blast. But it was far from a direct hit…

Kate, sighed in relief, having barely managed to turn it aside; purple flared in her vision as the Inquisition ship's failed attack was turned away and she heard part of the Cathedral collapse behind her with the crack of fractured marble falling. She turned her eyes to the screen in time to see a blast erupt between the AX members; a massive plume of debris rose from the destroyed ground, curtaining the immediate area in a thick veil of dust and debris.

Sakura, on the ground, cried out to them, but Paula intercepted her, forcing her back a good foot with an upward snap of her blade. Sakura spun with her, bringing her leg at the woman. But she was fast, and easily dodged it. A second blade flashed silver in Sakura's peripherals and she leapt away from it, coming to land on the high guard wall of the Vatican. Somehow, though, the woman was back on top of her…from behind.

Sakura felt the blade rake up her back, slicing a rough cross into her flesh. A second blade came across her stomach, slicing inches deep into the soft tissue there. Before she could recover, Paula leapt up, snapping a high kick to her jaw that sent her tumbling over the figurative battlement. As she fell, she watched the woman spring across the stone wall and come to land on the scaffold next to them. Her hand came to a key pad on her arm and the ship above them spun around and turned its firearms on them…And then her vision flickered and dimmed.

"Sakura!" She faintly heard Abel's cry of alarm, and realized, somewhat disjointedly, that he was alive, at least.

But it wasn't his arms that caught her. She felt a familiar flicker of sensation across her skin as an arm came across her waist, halting her impetus.

Her eyes snapped open, and she cried out in alarm. "Astha!"

The vampiric beauty smiled at her; she had wedged her weapon into one of the breaks in the stone, using that as a lever to support her weight and catch the female in her arms. She dropped to the ground a moment later, her amber eyes dangerous as she ran her hand along the shaft of her weapon.

"Are you alright?" She asked, her amber cat eyes glittering.

"Better than alright," Sakura replied as she snapped a clip into her revolver, "Now I'm pissed."

Below them, the dust was clearing. And no one, miraculously, was severely wounded. They rallied in a tight circle, percussion revolvers shining in their hands.

"Sister Paula," Caterina chimed from the ground, Tres flanking her protectively from behind, "Stand down and we will be lenient." The unsaid implied more than enough: if she took another step forward, they would have no choice but to execute her.

In a silent threat, _Iron Maiden II_ hovered behind them, her canons humming with power. Kate's voice boomed over the external feeds, "_Raguel, _this is _Iron Maiden II_. Stand down immediately or we will open fire!"

Paula opened her mouth and her lips moved, but for a long moment, Sakura couldn't tell what she was saying…And then an icy shiver ran down her spine as the silver-haired woman hefted her blade and, with a casual flick of her wrist, sent it flying at Caterina.

Tres responded mechanically as he pushed the Cardinal down and shielded her with his body. The shrike ripped through the black cloth on his left shoulder and a mist of clear fluid sprayed into the air. But in the same moment he had lifted his Jericho and discharged a round.

The woman dodged it with lethal ease as she stepped onto the platform that had been descending behind them. She pulled the Cardinal up along with her as the ship began to pull forward. In less than a second they had been pulled up into the belly of the ship.

"Kate, open fire!" Caterina ordered, her earpiece crackling faintly.

Kate tried to respond, but by then she realized something else…the ship was pulling forward…She only had time to scream a warning to her crew before the Inquisition ship barreled into them.

The sky erupted in flames and the bleached the earth with red and white light. It rained fire and sparks and Sakura heard the screams rise up around her and the curses and then…it was dark…

* * *

Sakura's eyes flickered open and she found herself beneath Abel. He was holding himself up on his arms, tenting her protectively with his body. Blood ran from a cut along his forehead down over his temple and spilled across her cheek.

"Abel!" She cried, turning under him and cupping his face with her palm.

"Stay down." He replied, his hair spilling over his shoulders, as he gently pushed her back down, "You've lost a lot of blood."

"What?" She asked, before the sticky feeling along her back and arms crept on her and she realized she was lying in a pool of crimson.

He knew her wounds were far from lethal-a Crusnik, even in dormancy, could be decapitated and it would hardly faze them. He himself had had his ribcage shattered and his organs liquefied and had managed to fight-but that didn't stop the painful tug in his heart as he saw her blood spill out in a growing puddle.

Astha hovered just to his right, her eyes narrowed with concern. She had only her own experiences to draw upon to determine how severe her comrade's wounds were and she knew that if a Methuselah lost that much blood, they wouldn't have had the strength even to succumb to bloodlust…they would have simply slipped away.

She tried to turn her head to look at the blonde vampire but Abel's hand intercepted her line of sight. He leaned in close, letting his hair slide between them to form a silvery curtain. He said nothing, but he didn't need to: the tang of fresh, coppery blood in the air struck her.

Scattered around them were dozens of bodies.

* * *

"These wounds are deep." Abel stated.

"How bad?" Sakura asked; she had shrugged out of the sleeves of her dress and was merely holding the bodice to her breasts to cover them as he examined her back.

"A Methuselah would have succumbed to them already." He told her a bit coldly. The shrike blades had nicked several internal organs. And they had outright severed several arteries. Worse, still, was Sakura's futile attempt to fuse to Crusnik; in doing so, but not completing the process, she had damaged several key components in her energy network. They would be slow in healing, too, considering her aversion to feeding.

"I'm not a Methuselah." She replied, hissing as he swabbed a disinfectant on the gashes.

"Yes, but it's a good baseline to compare injuries with." He replied as he wrapped her torso in medical gauze.

"Thanks." She said as she stood up, only to have the room pitch and roll on her.

She felt Abel's hand shoot out and capture her, pulling her back into a sitting position on their bed.

"Your blood volume is rather low." He stated with a silly grin.

"Gee…thanks…I couldn't figure that out on my own." She replied with mock-sarcasm.

He shifted her, letting her head rest on his lap for a moment. He smoothed her pink hair away from her face, smiling at her.

"I suppose…Lady Caterina is going to want us back in the field…" She sighed.

"Yes. We leave tomorrow." He replied.

There was a knock on their door, and she hastily pulled her tattered dress over her shoulders as Abel rose and answered the call. A large shadow filled the room, stepping into the light to reveal light blue-gray hair and intense, razor sharp eyes.

"Brother Petro." Sakura said levelly, nodding her head in recognition.

The head of the Inquisition nodded back at her, severely eyeing the shoulder where her torn dress had started to slip. She resisted the urge to glare back at him. But she knew what he was thinking of her, and she knew they were far from approving thoughts.

"What brings you here?" Abel asked pleasantly.

"The Counsel is convening in exactly one hour. Your presence is expected." Petro replied.

Sakura bit back the urge to remind him that only Caterina and the Pope himself had authority to command members of the AX.

"I assure you, we'll be there." Abel responded.

Petro gave no sign of even really hearing the priest before he stepped out of the room.

The pink-haired kunoichi watched him walk down the hall and turn before she sarcastically stated, "Lovely of him to drop by."

"Try to understand he's having a difficult time dealing with the situation. His second-in-command and his superior have both proven themselves to be treacherous in very short order. He must feel that the world he built for himself within the Inquisition is falling down around him."

Sakura felt rage rise up before she could contain herself and reeled around hard. "Because I wouldn't know a damn thing about how that feels!" She snapped. "Don't you _dare _talk to me about _his _world!"

Hurt flashed across Abel's wintry blue eyes and he opened his mouth to respond, "I'm not trying to minimize your loss, love…"

"Abel…I…I'm sorry." She stammered, reeling her emotions in.

He just shook his head with a smile, forgiveness written in his timeless face. "Go get ready, dear. This meeting will probably prove to be quite long."

She opened her mouth to say something further but he just gave her a playful nudge and turned to retrieve a fresh uniform from the closet. So she stepped into the sterile-colored porcelain room.

* * *

Caterina rose from her place beside Alessandro at the head of the large, oval table and cleared her throat, "I believe at this point, introductions would be redundant. The situation this morning is all the overture we need. Professor," She nodded gently at her old friend, "If you would be so kind."

"Thank you, Duchess Milan," The Albion knight replied as he stood up. His hand was a small remote, which he directed toward a large screen at the back of the room.

A picture flickered to the screen and he began, "This frame was captured exactly fifteen seconds before _Raguel _collided with the _Iron Maiden II_." His fingers ran across the small keypad and the image jumped to life. He waited for the two bows to contact before he froze the image again. "At second sixteen, the _Raguel _also discharged her main thrusters and cannons."

Sakura nodded, seeing for the first time the spark of electricity as the main guns were powered up and fired. And she watched as the tape again sped up. For almost five seconds, they watched the two ships crumpled and fracture as flames and sparks shot from a column of pillaring fire and color.

"Now here," The Professor again stopped the tape, "I'll turn the floor over to Father Iqus."

The android said nothing as he calmly crossed the room to the screen. His hand came up fluidly and he directed their attention to a number of places on the screen, "At exactly second seventeen, the _Raguel _discharged her escape pods."

The Professor activated the film, but for a second, she couldn't see what he was talking about. Then her eyes focused on a small black dot of color and movement almost entirely obscured by the flames. Her gaze drifted down and she counted another and another.

"In all, eighteen of the twenty-seven escape pods were launched." He told them mechanically. "We have attempted to trace them utilizing the built in tracking devices, however, it became apparent that former Sister Paula had disconnected them. When Sister Kate attempted to infiltrate the electronic systems, her own were infected with a viral code that interrupted her processes. In the three hours that has passed since former Cardinal de Medici's escape and former Sister Paula's defection, all eighteen pods have fallen off of our most advanced radar systems."

"What were their last known coordinates?" Leon asked gruffly.

The Professor clicked again and a different screen with sets of numbers and letters appeared. "The pods were scattered seemingly at random. However, we have reason to believe this was more deliberate than the data would conclude: Several of the pods wound up deep into Empiric territory. They were fully armed at the time, and all attempts by the Empire's outer posts to make contact with them failed. They were shot down at exactly 20:17."

"And what has the Empire's response been?" Vaclav asked.

"Lady Caterina was patched through to them immediately, and her diplomatic skill proved invaluable in averting a counterattack. However, despite word that they will not retaliate, there has been a notable shift in the Empire's logistical processes. The ships they consistently have in the stratosphere have started to descend, and trains within the Empire have ceased operations. There is also a worrisome flux in the number of nobles that have started to convene at the Jade Palace." The Professor replied.

"Then we have to go after them." Sakura said.

"The probability of success is less than five percent." Tres intoned emotionlessly.

"I don't give a damn about odds," Sakura replied, her voice rising, "If I have to, I'll track them on foot, by myself, to the ends of the earth."

Abel spoke without thinking, "Not without me."

Attempting to keep control of the situation, Caterina responded, "No one in the AX is moving without my explicit orders."

Sakura chair clattered to the floor as she pushed herself onto her feet and snapped, "You expect me to just let them go?"

"Caterina, surely you understand the dire nature of the situation. What other course of action do we have?" Abel intervened.

"Racing in after them, Abel, will spell disaster." She replied, "We're doing this one by the book."

"Screw the book!" Sakura cried.

"You will watch your language when addressing a Cardinal of the Vatican!" Caterina responded coolly.

"That doesn't sound like an explicit order to me!" Sakura hissed sarcastically.

"Sister Sakura," Tres began, "Anger will not resolve the situation."

"Don't _fucking _speak to me about emotion!" She yelled, "You don't understand a damn thing about it!"

"Sakura!" Abel cried, rising from the table.

Her eyes slid to him, her head turning as she opened her mouth to ask him what the hell he was doing.

But his eyes dropped to the table in front of her and she realized she could smell something metallic in the air. Her own gaze dropped to the table and she watched another rivet of blood run down her forearm and puddle near her wrist.

For a long moment, the room was silent before the kunoichi finally sat back down in her chair.

"I don't disagree with the need to pursue them; however, I would also note that you are injured and _Iron Maiden II _is crippled. If we pursue now with anything less than our very best, we are doing a great disservice to the resources available to the AX and to the people who will undoubtedly be counting on you in the coming hours and days." Caterina finally said diplomatically, looking straight past everyone in the room and to her youngest agent. "Moreover, the Empire is growing suspicious. We can't be reckless, not now. We're risking what tentative relations we have with the Empire as it is. Another debacle will not be tolerated."

Sakura bit down hard enough on her lip to draw blood. But she couldn't disagree with what the Cardinal was saying.

"Duchess, given that your own forces are unable to engage the enemy at this time, might I suggest that you turn the investigation over to the Inquisition?" Petro asked, finally opening his mouth.

"I will do no such thing. I will not allow either agency to pursue independently. It is imperative that the Inquisition and AX function together on this case. I do apologize for the inevitable delay that your troops will face, however, I believe this to be the only acceptable course of action."

"How long until the _Iron Maiden II _is battle-worthy?" The pale-haired man asked.

"At least a week." Caterina responded, "It has been decided, though, that this is an unacceptable amount of time. As such, _Iron Maiden _is coming out of retirement. She is being retrofitted as we speak. In three days time, she'll be ready."

The head of the Inquisition nodded calmly, "Then might I request that one of my agents be permitted to replace Sister Haruno on this case?"

Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but Caterina beat her to it. "I understand and sympathize with your concern, Brother Orcini," she began, "But I ask you to be sympathetic to her situation. I also believe the sharpness of her tongue might be borne of the pain of her wounds and the exhaustion of the day. In fact, I do believe that everyone here is feeling that same fatigue. As such, if there are no further inquiries, I think it's best we break."

No one protested and a moment later she said, "I expect to see all of you at the briefing in three days time. We will begin at 08:00 hours and you will dispatch at 10:00. Given the condition of the cathedral, Vespers will be completed privately tonight. Good night, and God Bless."

TBC


	3. Phoenix

_**Chapter Three: Phoenix **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Trinity Blood! **_

Dietrich smirked, toying with his puppet lines as he eyed the burned and destroyed remains of the Rosenkreuz Orden. But, just as their motto stated, the world was going to be reborn in fire. Even if their personal phoenix had to rise first…

He rose from the old throne that Cain had once claimed, his fingers twirling lithely. With the Sword of Beelzebub and the Sword of Asmoday at his disposal (his figurative inheritance from his late Master) he would be the one to nurse the weak and naked bird that was the Rosenkreuz Orden back to its former glory and beyond.

The light 'tak' of boots on the cracked cement forced his attention to the hall at his left. Two figures appeared in the dim light, one male, one female. He smiled sweetly at them, motioning to the latter to step forward.

Sister Paula swallowed her hesitancy; she didn't take orders from anyone but de Medici. But this was for his benefit, so she made an exception as she walked in front of him.

"We came." She stated simply.

"I knew you would." Dietrich replied before reiterating that they had no recourse, "There was no other option."

Sister Paula's eyes narrowed as she met his gaze; but, of course, he was right. And she had nothing to respond with.

"You work for me now." He said, smiling sadistically as his eyes flickered to the former Cardinal.

Paula bit down on her lip; she wanted to draw the moon blade hanging at her thigh and render him where he stood. But to do that would be to sacrifice Francesco to the gallows. So she simply nodded. "I will take your orders."

"And?" Dietrich smile widened.

Paula's fist clenched at her side, "And only yours."

"Good girl." He purred.

He walked past her, his fingers twining with the invisible but very real puppeteer lines that he was so fond of. He appraised the former Cardinal, frowning.

"And what is his skill?" He asked, bored.

"Do not speak as if I was not present!" Francesco snapped.

Dietrich turned his topaz colored eyes back to the battered and dirty man, smirking. "You would do well to remember that without me you would be dead right now."

"That does not mean I will subjugate myself to you!" de Medici replied.

A fraction of a second later, white-hot pain snaked flared through his body, paralyzing even his ability to cry out. "On the contrary," Dietrich stated, "It does."

The former cardinal nodded dumbly and a moment later, he fell to his knees as Dietrich retracted his control. Paula was at his side in an instant, supporting him as he tried to rise.

"There is one reason, Francesco, that I decided to keep you." Dietrich smiled.

"And why is that?" The former cardinal spat.

The young man with the face of an angel and a heart that would terrify Lucifer leaned down, his hand on de Medici's shoulder. "You have inside information."

* * *

Dietrich sighed in annoyance, waving off Paula's attempts to explain the complexities of the ship blueprings she had managed to hijack. He motioned to an androgynous woman dressed in red and black: Susanne von Skorenzy, the Red Baroness.

She sneered at Paula nastily as she shoved past her and began to type furiously on the key panels. She eyed the resulting specs that appeared on the screen before she turned around and declared, "They're mediocre at best."

"I trust you can elevate them." Dietrich replied evenly.

"Of course." She smirked.

"Excellent." He purred back.

He turned away a moment later, eyeing another figure in the room; a man with eyes that made even Paula nervous. He reeked of barely suppressed sadism and something even more ruthless. And, without even meaning to, she found herself pressing on her back foot, trying to gain even a few inches between them.

"This, Paula, is Melchior van Neumann. He is your immediate superior."

"I thought I only took orders from you." She replied.

"You can't possibly expect me to bother with you directly." Dietrich replied.

Paula nodded, feeling defeated. At least when she worked under Petro, he treated her like a human being…But she swallowed sentimentality. This was survival.

* * *

"Can I please get another inventory listing?" Sakura asked, turning to a young nun next to her.

"Certainly, Sister." The brunette replied as she bounced off to the data station.

The pink-haired kunoichi smiled to herself for a moment before turning back to watch another supply crate lift into the belly of _Iron Maiden II_…though she couldn't stop her eyes from drifting to the Inquisition's flagship: the _Gabriel._

It was a massive piece of craftsmanship, and it rivaled the size of even the _Iron Maiden_. But, unlike the AX ship, with its smooth lines and sleek design, it was jagged, and imposing. It reminded her, faintly, of the jaws of a shark…And, disturbingly, it seemed all too fitting…

An icy shiver passed down her spine and she had to force her shoulders not to shake with the sensation. Her eyes drifted over her shoulder and she suddenly realized what the source of her discomfort was: Brother Petro…his eyes on her back…

She swallowed hard, trying not to let the feeling of exposure get to her. She turned around to face him, bowing her head in polite recognition even as her eyes hardened. "Hello, Brother Orcini. How may I assist you?"

"Yes. I need to know who has the data sheets." He replied coolly.

"Sister Samantha went to go obtain them a moment ago." She responded. "However, if you need them more immediately, I can go find Sister Kate."

"That won't be necessary." He said.

Sakura, unsure of how else to respond, just nodded and turned back to direct another lift onto the AX ship. Their own supplies were almost loaded and all that remained was for the Professor, Kate, and Tres to finish upgrading the hardware and software interfaces.

"If you'll excuse me, Brother Orcini," She finally said, "I really must attend to my other duties."

He gave her a look that seemed to demand why she hadn't already started, but he said nothing as he bowed his head.

She didn't respond in kind as she took a step forward, gripped the sling of a cargo lift, and directed them to pull her up. She rose steadily for a moment to the loading platform that jutted from the belly of the ship and stepped off.

The entire bay was crowded with arms, food, and medical supplies and she had to fight her way through the bustle to reach Kate, who stood overlooking the entire process from the back.

"Kate?" Sakura intoned, "Are you ready for us to start changing the processing interfaces?" The pink-haired female knew it would mean that her holographic systems would be shut down for a time. And she knew that the plunge into a digital oblivion had to be terrifying.

But the strawberry blonde simply nodded and replied, "I look forward to take off." And then she evaporated in a stream of photonic particles.

"And we look forward to having you back again." Sakura whispered to the thin air.

* * *

Abel stepped into her office and glanced around; nothing physical had changed, of course. It was still perfectly ordered. Her redwood desk still sat in the middle of it and the chairs that had always lined it were there. But he could feel the shift…

"Caterina?"

"Abel…I don't think I have to tell you why I asked you to come." She began.

He shook his head, "I know."

"The Orden may very well be rising again. We need to be prepared for that." She said, more to herself than him. "As such, the AX is being given an auxiliary mission. You know that, per your orders, you are to recover as many of the escape pods as possible. We may yet be able to collect some information from them. However, there's something more."

Abel cocked his head in curiosity.

"Early this morning the Empire sent an electronic message requesting a counsel. No doubt they want to question us about the current situation. Given the Inquistion's position on the Methuselah homeland, I believe it's best that the AX take this mission. You and Sakura have by far the most Empiric connections and I want you two to lead it. As such, you, Sister Haruno, and Father Wordsworth will be accompanying Alec and myself."

"And Brother Orcini is willing to tolerate this?" Abel asked; the last time the Pope had left the confines of the Vatican, Petro had refused to be removed from his side.

"I convinced him that his time and energy were better spent eliminating any future threats to the security and sanctity of the Vatican." Caterina responded. "However, we can't afford to have the AX seem unstable right now, or unfocused. As such, Father Tres, Sister Kate and Father Vaclav will be accompanying them on the recovery mission."

"And when does this counsel convene?" Abel asked.

"In the next two days." Caterina responded, "In Albion."

TBC


	4. Operation CrossFade

_**Chapter Four: Operation Cross Fade **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Trinity Blood! **_

"You're…removing me from the mission roster?" Sakura asked.

"Far from it, Sakura." Caterina replied with a kind smile, "But your skills are needed elsewhere for the immediate moment. As soon as the counsel dismisses, you'll be free to return to your duties."

The pink-haired woman nodded resolutely. It would be like handing the world over to the Orden if political relations were permitted to deteriorate further.

"Good. Now, go refresh yourself." The blonde Cardinal said, lifting a ceramic cup to her ruby-colored lips.

* * *

Sakura hadn't even boarded _Iron Maiden _before additional changes were being made for their briefing: Codes were being mixed, operations being renamed and battle formations being adjusted. And the organized chaos that was an international summit security protocol was still being arranged when she finally sat down and pulled a harness over her chest.

"Well, Abel, it looks like we're back in the field." She smirked.

He smiled back with a sigh of mock-irritation. As much as he shirked his duties, complained, and messed up, she knew he wouldn't have it any other way. And, besides, he _never _failed to come through when they needed him…

Kate appeared suddenly in a beam of carefully constructed photons. A separate screen opened next to her. A list of names populated the holographic window, all of them carefully classified. They included dignitaries, embassy chancellors, the body guard rosters for the representatives, and basic run-downs on all of the guests.

"Empress Augusta Vradica has confirmed that the Yeniceri will be functioning as her primary guard. We have also confirmed with her that you two will be the line of defense for both Lady Caterina and His Holiness." Kate began.

"Just the two of us?" Sakura asked, already concerned.

"You are simply the last line, Sister." Kate replied with a faint smile, "Many active duty auxiliary AX agent will be functioning somewhere in the crowd. However, for security purposes, I can't reveal their positioning."

"And when is the summit due to begin?" Abel asked, glancing at the screen.

"In twenty one hundred hours." Kate responded. "I suggest both of you get some rest." She said nothing more as she loaded herself back into the ship's systems to prepare her statement to the Beta Team on the recovery operation.

* * *

Sakura slid a dagger into the sheath hidden in her knee-high boots before she pulled her jacket on. She might have been on guard duty, but it was still a formal summit and that meant a drastic change in her usual attire: Her shorts had been shortened and overlaid with a black skirt, slit up both sides; the breaks in the ebony cloth were covered with white lace. She wore a black shirt with a high neck and no sleeves. Her legs were wrapped in black tights, and her hands were sheathed up to the elbow with black gloves. The jacket she wore was shortened, ending just below her breasts, and trimmed with lace along the sleeves and the lower hem; sewn into the cloth of her left breast was the silver badge of an official of the church.

Abel was similarly dressed: He wore a long sleeved, collared black shirt with the same badge laid into the fabric. He wore long black pants, tailored without a break, over his heavy boots. His hands were covered in plain, but elegantly crafted, ivory toned gloves. His long silver hair was tied back with a navy blue ribbon, and he wore a jacket trimmed with silver.

But both of them were armed to the teeth: Slung low across their hips were two or three belts, one of which held the holster for their revolvers. They had several daggers hidden away in their boots and even their coats, along with silver nitrogen rounds, at least one back-up firearm, and, in Sakura's case, an additional large, flat dagger that vaguely resembled a machete was holstered along her lower back.

"I really hope security is tighter this time than it was for the last summit." Sakura stated.

"You can never count on that, though." He replied, sliding an additional dagger into the holster along his left arm.

"True." She agreed as the massive ship settled into its dock. With a mechanical hiss, the doors opened.

The first platoon, mostly inexperienced foot soldiers, was the first off of the AX's battleship. Following closely was the second security division, the second line of defense for the Cardinal and her young brother. Behind them came more Vatican security. And, finally, Sakura and Abel exited the hold of the massive ship.

The entire procession, about fifty in total, then made their way to the dock across the pier, where the representatives were being shown off of their particular flights. It had been decided long in advance that they were be docked as far from each other as possible, that way a potential attack wouldn't be capable of killing the dignitaries and their guards in one fell swoop.

On the second dock, the guard rosters converged with their assignments, Methuselah and human alike. Sakura's division was scheduled to lead the march to the Embassy Head Quarters in Albion. They quickly parted for the Cardinal and the Pope, closing in behind them and from the sides as they began to walk. At that point, the only probable place to attack was from above or below.

Behind them, Astha's division led their heavily veiled Empress. Naturally, the Methuselah had gone to great lengths as well, in both appearance and functionality: They were dressed in jewel tones, many of them being the colors of their respective houses. Astha, in particular, looked stunning in a dress of intricately wrought metal, slit and plated along the lines of her body to allow for a full range of motion. The sides of the garment were silk, deep blue in color, and trimmed with white lace, as was the low neckline. Slung across her chest was a sash of ruby red and sapphire blue, with an emblem of her house and her titles and badges of honor. Her legs were wrapped in rich red tights with ivory boots that rose to the top of her thighs.

But all eyes were on the Empress: she was wearing several layers of very heavy brocade veils that trailed up to ten feet behind her. Her dress, in the scant few places it was visible, was an impossibly deep shade of emerald green. The silk was adorned with literally hundreds of small gems laced into the weave of the dress. Her feet were clad in high white boots, laced with sheer green organza. This was the first time she had been seen, in living memory, anyway, outside of the Empire.

Though, of course, Abel and Sakura knew better: The true Empress was shorter, more child-like in her physical appearance. This woman was taller than Sakura, and was more voluptuous than Astharoshe.

Sakura's eyes, however, were on the media swarming around them at the edges of the procession. She had had her misgivings about making the event as public as it was. She felt it was like spilling blood in shark-infested waters. She had quickly come to realize, though, that it was possibly the best course of action they could have taken: the public show was one of solidarity. They were telling the Orden that they hadn't been shaken, yet.

That didn't mean they would allow the reporters to get close, though. There was no telling _who _was hiding behind the guise of a curious cameraman or an inquisitive reporter…. Out in the open, they were sitting ducks, and all of them knew that even if the reporters were too dense to get it. In fact, in the background, Sakura could pinpoint Astha's voice as she chastised her unit for not moving faster.

It was a massive relief to all parties involved when they were finally sealed in the embassy. The grind of the gargantuan marble and oak doors closing signaled the erection of the first real physical barrier between them and potential harm.

But it was only just after sunset, meaning negotiations hadn't even begun. It wasn't until an hour later, when the representatives and their personal guards had been seated that the summit began at all. And Sakura knew it was going to be a long night.

"Abel, we should get going. The security forces are convening in fifteen minutes." She said, glancing at a clock on the wall.

He nodded, turning towards her as Astha joined them.

"What are we looking at?" Sakura asked.

"My forces are staged around the Yeniceri. There isn't much we can do about the outer perimeter." The blonde vampire responded.

Abel nodded; UV radiation made vampiric guard during the day around the building impossible. "We'll leave the inner corridors to you. We'll worry about the gates."

"I think it would be pertinent to stagger our defenses." A fourth voice cut in.

From the shadows melted a man of impressive height with long blonde hair. He wore a perfectly tailored suit in black with a white suit and a handkerchief tucked neatly into the pocket on the chest.

"Always thinking one step ahead of us, Virgil." Abel smiled with a tentative wave of his hand.

The man bowed his head, "It is my duty, Agent Nightroad, Agent Asran." His gaze drifted back to Sakura and he ducked even lower in greeting, "Agent Haruno."

The pink-haired medic fought to keep the blush from her cheeks as she remembered with new clarity how he had been her crutch when she most needed it and replied, "Duke Manchester."

He reached out and gently took her head, pressing a kiss to it, "There is no need for such formality."

Sakura's eyes darted over to Abel; but far from looking jealous or dejected, he was smiling. "Forgive her, Virgil. She plays the part of an agent so well that sometimes she has a hard time remembering to be herself."

The tall male Methuselah said nothing in response as he shook his head with a smile.

"You were saying, Duke, that you suggested staggering our forces?" Astha broke in, clearly curious.

"Yes, Duchess Kiev. After much negotiation, Queen Esther has managed to procure enough UV gel for your forces."

Sakura knew that the only world power that had any of the gel in stock was the Vatican…But she knew better than to question the transaction out loud. It might very well have been a goodwill gift from Caterina in an attempt to downplay the severity of the break in rank within the Vatican forces.

"Your Queen has my thanks." The Kiev noble responded with a bow of her head.

"I shall pass along your kindness personally." Virgil responded, "If you will excuse me, I have my own forces to brief."

"We'll keep in close contact." Abel assured him.

The elder Walsh bowed again and faded again into the background.

"We should hurry." Sakura finally said as she walked through a door and into a separate conference room.

* * *

The guards filed in first, taking up positions next to various chairs around a massive oak table. Sakura and Abel were stationed next to an elegantly adorned chair on the left, while the Empress' guards stood at a ninety degree angle to them. At the head of the table was a third chair, shadowed carefully by Virgil and his charges.

Caterina and the Pope came in first, flanked from behind by three foot soldiers. They took their seats between Abel and Sakura, who remained standing as the door across from them opened to reveal the Empress' stand in: The Duchess of Moldova.

But those around them didn't know and they had no intention of telling anyone else, either. In fact, even if they had, it was unlike that anyone would believe the leader of the Methuselah Empire was a girl who appeared to be no older than twelve…

The tall woman, cloaked in green silk and heavy veils, sat down beside Astharoshe. Flanking her from the left was Baibars of the Yeniceri Security Force.

The third and last door, at the head of the room, opened a moment later to reveal a slender red-head wearing a floor length gown in deep blue silk. The sleeves were long and belled in a flower petal around her wrists. Running up the sides of the corset were white lace designs that cascaded down the full skirt. Her hair had been arranged in much the same way she had worn it as an agent of the Vatican: loose and wavy around her face. Secured around her throat was a black band of silk with several diamonds and she bore the scepter of her homeland in her hand.

She stepped forward, smiling at Virgil as he pulled her seat out of her, and nodding to him as he gently pushed it in. "Good evening, respected dignitaries, ambassadors, and guests." She began.

"Good evening, Queen Esther." Caterina responded, Alec chiming in kind beside her.

"Good evening and good tidings." The Moldova Duchess in disguise replied.

"Now, let's get down to business." Esther said, glancing over the papers in front of her.

The Empress spoke first, "I believe it's best we discuss the recent treason within the Vatican."

Caterina was quick to respond, "I can assure you that we are searching for the defectors as we speak."

"Our concern is not your fallen soldiers, Lady Sforza." The heavily veiled female replied, "We are concerned about the rebirth of the Orden."

"While it's true that not all of the Orden's members were captured or positively identified among the bodies we analyzed, I believe they are still, for the time being, incapable of moving overtly against the Empire, the Vatican, or Albion." The crimson-clothed Cardinal said.

"Perhaps we should allow our operatives to speak. Their testimony might better color our understanding of the situation." The woman in emerald green responded, "Lady Asran?"

"Having worked to exterminate the threat of the Order of Rosenkreuz, I believe that their resource networks are extensive enough to present a significant security threat." She female vampire said.

Caterina shot a meaningful glance at Abel as the eyes in the room turned to him. He returned her gaze for only a moment, though, before telling them, "I have to agree with Duchess Kiev."

"And Sakura?" Caterina asked, turning her head to face the woman to her right.

"I believe…" She stopped, taking a deep breath, "I believe that where there's a will, there's a way. The Orden won't be stopped until the world is burning at their feet. That having been said, I also believe that our greatest defense against them is trust and transparency."

"Wise words for one so young." The Empress commented kindly.

"She is old beyond her years." The Duchess of Milan smiled, but her face suddenly turned serious, "There are obstacles outside of the Orden to peace."

Abel swallowed hard; Caterina was playing a dangerous game. Thought she hadn't outright implicated her own country in her statement, he knew that was what she meant. But if she said that the factions in her own church were the problem, the counsel was likely to dissolve into chaos.

Rightfully so, the other two nations there would see a house divided as a liability against itself. And the purpose of her coming was to form stronger bonds against the inevitable tide of impending war.

"There have always been obstacles to peace. Our only option is to overcome." The Empress responded.

Caterina had no choice but to agree. But this time it was more than politics…it was ethical fiber.

"And what about the forces in the field now?" Esther finally asked, glancing over her roster.

"It is a force composed both of Inquisition and AX forces." The blonde Cardinal replied.

Esther's cobalt blue eyes narrowed, but she quickly forced her face back into a passive mask. "And their progress?"

"At the last communication, they had recovered three of the pods. Unfortunately, none of them yielded new evidence." The Duchess Milan pushed another sheaf of papers towards the queen.

"Empiric technology might be able to shed light on the situation." The Empress offered.

"Any aid you can provide would be greatly appreciated." Caterina smiled.

"Excellent. Please have an envoy convey the data to Lady Asran. We will have it analyzed before tomorrow night's counsel."

"Thank you, Empress." Esther smiled. "If that is all the business for tonight, shall we dismiss?"

No one objected and, with the formal good-byes, they rose in reverse order and withdrew from the room. But it wasn't until they were out in the hall that Sakura started to feel a certain iciness from Caterina.

And as the blonde Cardinal pulled away from them and toward her room, she finally asked Abel, "Did I speak out of turn?"

"Caterina is just feeling some political pressure. The Inquisition might stomach some economic ties with the Empire, but they would never tolerate an official alliance."

"But that's the only way this will ever end…" Sakura sighed.

"God is on our side, Sakura." Abel told her, his hand finding her shoulder.

"It's not God that worries me." Sakura replied, her eyes falling.

TBC


	5. Infection

_**Chapter Five: Infection**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Trinity Blood! **_

It was around six in the morning, when the sky had just begun to pale with the coming sun, that they retired. Though there were no windows and on port for UV radiation in the conference room and all of the windows in the embassy had been replaced with UV glass to protect the Methuselah representatives, the circadian rhythms of vampires were different than humans; and, just as humans did, they required rest and nutrition. So, they escorted Caterina and the Pope back to their room, where Tres would stand guard while Sakura and Abel rested.

It was seven when the two tired operatives fell into bed. They had requested a room next to their leaders, which, luckily, was in the middle of the massive buildings and therefore had no windows. Any amount of light would have kept both of them up for quite a while.

Sighing, Sakura reached across the bedspread and took her lover's hand. His lips split into a goofy grin as he eyed her.

"Oh, shut up." She teased, throwing a pillow at him with her free hand.

He easily caught it, throwing it back with equal ease. It struck her face lightly, and she giggled as she kicked the blanket over him. He shifted beneath it, peering owlishly over the embroidered hem with mock fear.

She laughed, falling back on her side of the bed and commenting that she really needed a shower. Smiling, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and walked across their room. The bathroom door shut a moment later.

* * *

"Hmm…Professor?" Caterina moaned, awakened by a distinct skittering on the hardwood floors. Her eyes fluttered open when the click of a revolver reached her ears. She sat straight up, carefully pushing the blanket away from her legs.

What happened next totally escaped her human eyes: Something lunged at her from the shadows as another blur jutted up in front of her. An arm came around her waist and she was yanked bodily from the bed.

She found herself in Abel's arms before she could scarcely blink. And his gun had already been leveled in her defense seconds before she had even been aware there was a threat. He landed easily on the Pope's bed with a grace that belied his true power. One leg came across the young, and still sleeping, man dressed in white, so that he was straddling him.

"Identify yourself." He demanded harshly, holding her close.

A feral hiss rose from the heavily cloaked creature as it lunged, its nails extending with such speed that not even Abel could correct his gun; the firearm was knocked from his hand and he spun, trying to shield Caterina and the Pope with his body.

However, the tear of flesh never reached their ears, his life blood was never spilled, and Caterina's scream was never loosed. An ivory blur raced through the door of their room and the dull thud of flesh contacting flesh filled the tense air.

"Move and I kill you." Sakura hissed, her knees pinning the Methuselah's arms to his sides. She had obviously been getting ready for bed if her chemise was any indication.

"Sister!" Caterina cried out in alarm, waking the young Pope at her feet, who cried out in turn and clutched the leg of the priest protecting him.

Sakura glanced up at them, her right hand holding a dagger above the cervical vertebra of the vampire she had successfully pinioned. Just as quickly, though, her eyes flickered back down to the would-be assassin.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, flexing her hip to put more pressure on his arms.

"We will kill them!" It hissed furiously, struggling.

Sakura didn't even bat an eyelash as Abel appeared in the doorway, his revolver trained on the Methuselah. "We?"

"Rosenkreuz!" He snapped at the silver-haired priest.

Shock crossed Sakura's face, but she quickly pushed it down. "You are being arrested for attempted murder of a Cardinal and the Pope, carrying a dual sentence for attack serviced during peace times."

The Methuselah's black lips pulled up and he shot her a frightening glance with his ebony eyes. "Tomorrow, all of you shall fall. But, first, that blonde bitch." A fraction of a second later, Sakura was tossed bodily against the heavy wood door as the Methuselah dissolved into nothing more than a spray of blood.

"Sakura!" Abel cried, his eyes wide.

"I'm fine, Abel." She assured him, waving him as she clasped her legs together and pushed herself up. "So…this isn't going to be the first attempt…" She sighed as he lowered Caterina to her feet. "You can't go, Duchess Milan."

Caterina shook her head; she couldn't afford to run away. It would destroy the tentative peace they had started. And, if she did, she would appear weak, inviting further attack.

"If we lose you, Caterina, we don't stand a chance." Abel told her.

Sakura glanced at the Cardinal and then the frightened Pope and simply said, "I think I have an idea."

* * *

"It's my understanding that you were attacked last night, Lady Caterina." Esther began, her hands pressed nervously together. Aside from the poor security it seemed to allude to, she was horrified that her mentor and former superior had nearly been killed.

"I consider it a professional hazard." The blonde Cardinal responded with a wave of her elegant hand. "Please, think no more of it."

"You are an unshakable woman, Duchess." The Empress said with a faint hint of a smile in her words.

"No more or less than you and our gracious host." Caterina's lips pulled up.

"Ladies, we could spend all evening trading compliments, but we _do _have work to see to." Esther said, unable to suppress her own smile entirely.

"Of course." The Empress said, pushing a folder at each of them. "Our analysis indicated that the escape pods recovered were not those used by the defecting agent and former Cardinal de Medici. No trace of their DNA was found on the control consol or the hatch. However, we were able to determine that the programming used no known Vatican codes." She paused, giving Caterina a moment to come forward with any secret numerical systems they might have used. But she must have seen the genuine confusion flash across the blonde's grey eyes because she continued, "And they do not seem to match Albion programs, either."

"I can assure you that these codes have never been used by the Vatican." She said.

"And, I can assure you, Empress," Virgil interjected after reading over the information Esther handed him, "That these codes are not used by our programmers, either."

Sakura swallowed hard and said, her voice trembling faintly, "I…recognize them…"

"You do?" The Empress coaxed gently.

She nodded, her pink hair slipping slightly from the tight ponytail at the nape of her neck, "It was…used by my homeland."

Since the news broke about the experimentation with the Bacillus that had been funded and continued under Cardinal de Medici, her history was no secret. The news, though, clearly upset the delicate balance of the room.

"These codes are encrypted twice. The first layer is all directional, but the second…it's a message. One that could only be decoded by someone who knew the codes before and knew how they changed each year…"

"And what does it say?" Esther asked.

"Literally translated, it says, 'Ready the tomb of the Angel of Death.'"

"They were intentionally vague, it seems, to prevent anyone from translating the information." Virgil suggested.

Sakura shook her head, "No…It's more than that…They knew that these pods might spark tensions between the Empire and the Vatican. They had to know the pods would be recovered before their operatives could reach them because of political pressures."

"What exactly are you saying?" Esther asked, her eyes narrowed in concern.

"This…was a warning." Sakura replied.

The entire room began to buzz as they started to consider what exactly this might mean. But Sakura and Abel already knew…the Angel of Death…Cain…

She was already starting to feel dizzy when Abel's arm looped around Caterina's shoulder, his hand coming down on her upper arm to stabilize her. He glanced at her with a mixture of concern and confusion. She shook her head, trying to clear her head and reassure him at the same time. However, by then, Abel wasn't the only one to notice…Astha and Baibars were both gazing intently at her with the same expression. She waved them off inconspicuously, adjusting her weight in the seat. She took a deep breath, trying not to let the possibilities of his resurrection overwhelm her.

She heard nothing else of the next six hours that passed as the counsel seemed to turn into a war convention. It was until they were dismissed that she realized time had passed at all. It was only as Abel mentioned that perhaps a meal was in order that she realized how tired she was. She needed a nap, she told him.

He nodded, telling her good-naturedly that she seemed to need it. She just smiled back. She didn't even really remember getting to her room or laying down…but she did remember the vicious shriek of her earpiece several hours later. She bolted up, crying back that she was coming.

She sprang up from her bed, ignoring her shoes, gloves, everything aside from her percussion revolver. She raced down that hall at such a speed that even a Methuselah would be hard-pressed to see more than a vague blur. She reached the Duchess' room in less than two seconds, her hand coming down on the knob. She gave a twist, shattering it with her bare fist when it refused to turn.

Abel and the Professor were both laid out, blood spilled across the ground. She didn't stop to check them, though, because she saw the faint flicker of a shadow against the window. She crashed through the glass window, showering the two fallen priests with jewel-toned shards.

She landed easily, pursuing the fleeing vampire on foot. It was an almost ridiculously easy task to keep up with him, but she quickly found herself disoriented in the city and, then, beneath it. In the Catacombs…

Sakura halted suddenly as the vampire stopped; he turned on his heel, dropping Caterina unceremoniously at his feet. Sakura didn't hesitate: she kicked off of the ground with such speed and force that the offender had no choice but move away. Sakura spun expertly on her heel a moment later, turning to face him.

"Bad move." She hissed, raising her gun.

"Really?" It hissed, smirking. "Because, I do daresay, we have you right where we want you."

"What do you mean?" Sakura demanded.

The vampire turned its head up slightly, revealing pearly fangs over blood-colored lips. She followed its eyes, realizing quickly that they were surrounded…

_That…doesn't make sense…How did I not smell them? _Sakura's eyes narrowed as her confused thoughts flashed across her mind. But she was careful not to allow her face to betray them.

The male Methuselah in front of her stepped forward, and she cocked her gun in the same fraction of a second, "Stay right where you are."

"I know what you're thinking: You're stronger, faster…"

Her eyes narrowed as in the same instant he materialized in front of her. He was so close that she couldn't adjust her aim, or drop her arms to reposition. His lips brushed against her ear as he hissed, "Think again."

Sakura didn't even have time to consider the ridiculousness of the situation: she was a Crusnik. Even in a state of dormancy, she _was _faster than a Methuselah…she had no idea how he had managed to execute that maneuver, but, even more unnerving, it seemed as if he hadn't increased his speed at all…The kunoichi's survival instinct snapped to action and she levered her knee up with enough force to send him stumbling before she even consciously realized how close she had come to serious injury-a dagger fell from his hand as he stumbled back, gasping for breath.

She…she heard…coughing…Sakura's eyes flickered down to see Caterina, still on her knees, one gloved hand pressed over her mouth…a trickle of bright scarlet spilled from the corner of her lips…

"Yes, she's been sick for quite some time." The Methuselah smirked. "But you never knew what she smelled like before the disease took a hold of her. So you had no way of realizing."

"Nanomachines, Crusnik 05, power output at forty percent: Activate." Sakura whispered.

But, instead of the usual rush of strength, she found herself on her hands and knees, gasping for breath. White-hot pain spread through her body, forcing bile up sickly into the back of her throat. Her senses failed her: her vision blurred, her ears rang so fiercely that she had to fight to remain conscious and something bitter, metallic, coated her tongue.

"What…?"

"What happened?" The Methuselah smiled, kneeling and grasping her weapon as he finished her sentence. He gazed at it for a moment before tossing it dispassionately aside. "In her room last night: that assassin was not there to harm Caterina. They just needed a good excuse to get close to you, to shower you with a virus. Oh, now don't worry," He cooed sickeningly, seeing shock register across her features, "It won't kill you. And, given enough time, your body would fight off _anything_. We just needed to make sure those pesky little machines didn't get in our way. Oddly, it also means you aren't contagious, despite our best efforts…but I'm sure that Abel will soon walk into a similar trap."

He stood up, smirking. "You see," He continued, "With negotiations well under way, you have made it quite difficult to accomplish our ultimate goal. However, that will very shortly be solved. After all, under pre-hypnosis, we couldn't lie if we wanted to. The Inquisition or even your own AX will capture us for questioning soon. We'll inform them we working for you. And, naturally, you will show none of the physiological signs of having fused. They will come to the natural conclusion: That you didn't act to save her. As for the AX…"

Sakura shuddered, falling to her side. The AX would fall, all of the members tried by a papal trial...likely to die by firing squad…

He stood up, approaching them and eyeing the downed AX agent with amusement. He lifted her up by her throat to stare into her eyes. His lips pulled up even further, his grin growing more sadistic and insane. "I can see why they call you Frigid Spring. You're so lovely, so lethal…" He pulled her up, bringing her to his mouth and forcing his lips against hers. His sharp fangs pricked her bottom lip, drawing blood that he eagerly sipped. A fraction of a second later, he tossed her aside with enough force to crack the stone column she slammed against.

"Stop right there."

Sakura's eyes flickered to the shadows, where a single silver badge gleamed faintly in the dark. He stepped forward, flicking a switch along his cane. A blade extended with a lethal hiss into the air. Her blood-stained lips lilted up.

"You didn't think you'd get far, did you?" The Professor asked as he appeared from the shadows…clearly nursing a torn shoulder.

The Methuselah hissed as he rose, giving Sakura a precious half second to rise to her feet. She produced a dagger and lifted it. The vampire hissed in surprise as it brought its hand up to defend against the blade.

But the edge never struck him.

The blade came down across Sakura's own throat…

TBC


	6. Purge

_**Chapter Six: Purge**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Trinity Blood! **_

_**A/N: Can anyone find the line in here that was taken (not quite verbatim) from Trinity Blood: Rage Against Moons Volume One? And the first few lines where Sakura and Abel are speaking after the private audience aren't mine. They come from another fanfiction called **_**Who Comes This Night **_**by Kitsune Moonstar. **_

The Professor and vampires gasped in mutual shock as the kunoichi's blood sprayed across the cold stone at an alarming rate. She dropped the dagger, where it clattered it against the slime-covered concrete. Despite the gravity of her self-inflicted wound, she directed her lethal gaze at the vampires and spoke. "A woman dislikes a man who talks too much, but I should probably be thanking you."

Sakura shifted her weight to her left hip as the wound closed over. Her eyes tapered as she smirked, "You made one serious mistake: I'm a medic. While you were blathering, I was working."

The vampire narrowed his teal colored eyes as he hissed. His fist closed with enough force to draw blood from his own palm. _Insolent bitch, _he thought to himself.

Sakura continued, "You guys had a good idea, but your execution was sloppy. The virus didn't stand a chance. Once it entered my system, my body fused with it. I was never capable of transmitting it. Furthermore, it has no effect on the Bacillus bacteria. So Methuselah aren't in danger of infection. And neither are humans."

"You…little…"

"Bitch?" Sakura offered, "I know."

"How did you…" The vampire hissed.

"Beat it? It was easy. I drained my blood, purging the virus." That was the second fatal flaw in their design: Unlike her nanomachines, which were prolific throughout her body, the virus resided only in her blood. And, though she hadn't eliminated the virus in its entirety, she had severely diluted its concentration in her blood as her nanomachines worked to replace the lost fluid volume. Furthermore, her body was easily overwhelming their biological compound. "Now, where were we?"

The vampire cried out a desperate order to attack. A massive, feral roar filled the damp underground chambers. But Sakura just smirked. "You wanted to know why Frigid Spring was codename. Well," Her tongue ran across her lips, lapping up her own blood; her hair fell in a pink curtain around her face, veiling her eyes, "Let me show you."

The Methuselah foolish enough to leap at them were blasted by a shockwave. The kunoichi's radiant scarlet eyes narrowed almost seductively as she smiled at them. Her wings flexed, spreading to their full span-just over ten feet in length-and brought them down with enough force to send the Methuselah flying.

It wasn't until they regained some semblance of their senses that they realized that wasn't all she had done: They were coated in a thin veneer of ice crystals that seemed to grow into ever thickening sheets of their own accord. The temperature of the air around began to drop with alarming speed.

"Professor, keep Duchess Milan warm." Sakura told him as she bore down on her prey.

He nodded, kneeling beside the unconscious blonde and drawing her up from the floor. He pressed himself close, his breath steaming in the air. The slime along the rocks had frozen into panes and the drip of water from the ceiling ceased as it solidified into spikes of ice.

The leader of the cohort trembled, panic coming across his features. He had never known fear before, and its intensity was pushing away rational thought. There was only the desperate, clamoring need to _survive_. Sakura saw this, saw them push against the walls in a vain attempt to put distance between her and them.

"You want to know why you're afraid." She hissed knowingly, seeing it in their eyes, "It's base instinct; the primal recognition of a superior hunter."

There was no time even for the Methuselah to loose their cries.

Sakura turned around a moment later. She easily fell back into dormancy, taking a moment to recover before she bridged the distance between her and her comrades in five strides. She crouched beside the Professor, tearing open the Cardinal's vestments. A thin camisole was all that remained as she laid her hand against the woman's chest.

She closed her eyes, green chakra flooding her hands. Her left came up, gathering the emerald energy that flushed Caterina's lungs and sifted through her torso into a ball. Thick, greenish-yellow gunk tinged with red was slowly but surely physically pulled from the blonde's respiratory system. It took only a few minutes to flush her system and rid her of the disease, and only a few seconds to repair the illness-ravaged flesh.

Sakura took a moment to catch her breath before asking that he take Caterina back so she could get some rest. She gave him the appropriate medical recommendations-fluids and sleep-before telling him to go without her. For a moment, he looked as though he might argue. But he closed his mouth, carrying Caterina, and disappearing back into the dark.

She leaned against the cold stone of the columns that lifted the subterranean roof. Her breath was ragged and she was covered, despite the chill in the air, in a thin veneer of sweat. She had taken a serious risk in attempting to fuse at all. And it was coming back to bite her. Eventually, she forced herself to her feet and back to the embassy.

Naturally, by then, word of the incident had spread with astounding detail. The entire AX and the Yeniceri were gathered outside, discussing security. And they seemed more than a little surprised to see her. She wondered why for a moment before realizing the obvious answer: She was a wreck.

It wasn't often that you saw a Sister of the Vatican limping back, covered in gore an inch thick, to her assignment in a tank top and shorts without shoes.

She waved off their attempts to steady her, asking for a status briefing on the Professor and Caterina. Abel assured her that they were both safe, Caterina resting peacefully. Sakura nodded in response.

"Sister, perhaps it would be prudent for you to refresh yourself." A nun she didn't recognized said from the background.

Sakura nodded tiredly, thanking them before she disappeared into the embassy. She turned down the hall, slipping into her room. It was all she could do to muster enough energy to change her blood stained clothes before climbing into the bed.

* * *

Caterina sat across from the Empress, trying her best to look diplomatic despite the night. Which was a task much easier said than done when she was wearing nothing more than her night shift. And, naturally, the Empress looked entirely too put together. Even in just her dressing gown, she put most females to utter shame; and that was _with_ her face covered by the many thick veils she wore.

"As I'm sure you're aware, the terrorist attacks have become a much bigger danger than originally believed." Caterina began.

"Yes, Lady Asran herself was kind enough to brief me on the situation." The Empress replied, her voice greatly modified.

"I think it is in the best interests of all involved to dismiss early; if we stay any longer, we're presenting multiple, high-profile targets." Caterina replied, "Thankfully, the length of the summit was never released. We can get by without the appearance of fear or weakness."

"I must agree. However, seeing how seamlessly our guards worked together, I must say that I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful alliance."

Caterina didn't dim the smile that pulled her lips up as she reached across the table, shaking hands with the imposing female. "I think, Empress, that you are correct."

"I will send treatises and the official documentation along with Astharoshe Asran once we are safely within the Empire's borders." The Empress added as she rose and drifted from the chambers.

"God Bless," Esther said, "And please do get home safely. All of you. But, Lady Caterina, please do send those operatives to my office. I wish to speak with them."

"Of course, Your Majesty." The Cardinal responded with a small nod.

* * *

Sakura tugged at the elaborate blue and gold skirt that hung around her legs; it was part of her formal attire for functions of state and included a matching top: long sleeved, high necked, and tailored. She had to admit, even to herself, that she felt somewhat imposing in the outfit. It had a ring of authority and professionalism to it that was a sharp foil to their usual daily grind of blood and battle.

Abel, of course, she thought to herself, looked quite handsome in the matching attire of a male agent: it was the same color scheme, but with a different cut and slacks instead of a skirt; and, to her surprise, had replaced his usual black silk ribbon with a deep blue one…

The whole thing made her uncomfortable and she was beginning to feel out of her depth. Everyone else had been ordered to begin preparations for the return flight while she and Abel had been ordered to a private audience…

They stopped at the wide double doors, where a guard saluted them, nodded to his subordinate to open the door, and chimed their arrival in a strong, clear voice as the doors were swung open. Caterina appeared on the other side of the heavy oak door, in her usual crimson and gold raiment. Her hands were folded in her lap and her eyes flickered to them only briefly before they settled back on their guest…

Esther…Queen of Albion…

The girl, barely out of her teens, turned and smiled fondly at Abel before she turned a somewhat more reluctant smile on Sakura. The viridian eyed female felt old rage bubble up, but quickly suppressed it as Caterina invited them to take a seat.

"Abel, Sakura, I believe you know Queen Esther." Caterina began, lifting a cup of tea to her lips before she continued, "She wishes to speak with you before our departure this evening."

Sakura set her mouth in a hard line, biting down on her tongue to prevent the long and vicious string of words she wanted to direct at the monarch of Albion from being loosed. She hadn't been free to let her own bitterness at the woman fully reconcile and she was beginning to feel it bite at her again.

"It's lovely to see you again, Father." The red-headed female smiled.

"Likewise." Abel replied.

"Now, I suppose we should get to business." She added, never losing the spark in her smile or eyes. "I have come to offer my formal support in your attempts to capture former Cardinal de Medici. I have Virgil himself working the underground channels for information."

"We greatly appreciate the aid, Lady Esther." Abel smiled.

"Please, Father Nightroad, call me Esther."

"It has been," He said with a sigh, "A very long time since that name has passed my lips."

Sakura's hands twisted and balled in her lap, her nails drawing scarlet crescents in her palm. She suddenly felt inadequate compared to the beautiful monarch: the red-head's figure was much fuller, her eyes much more stunning, she had much more of a history with the kunoichi's paramour, she had an innocence that battle had long since stripped Sakura of, and she had knowledge of all the things, past and present, in the world around them that tied her and Abel together.

So the kunoichi couldn't have been happier when Caterina suggested that they leave. She was eager to end the entire meeting and go back to preparing for the mission.

But she felt that sense of joy very quickly hit the floor when Caterina added that she was sure Abel and Esther would want some privacy. And, really, there was no way the pink-haired female could argue. So, she stood up, catching Abel's eyes but resisted the urge to kiss him; she knew she wouldn't be doing it to show him affection, but to mark him as hers.

She let herself follow Caterina and she even spared a glance over her shoulder as the doors were closed behind them.

But…Abel's eyes weren't on her…

Abel and Esther sat in silence for a moment as she smoothed over her dress-a long, ornately decorated gown, deep burgundy, with off the shoulder sleeves. It was dotted with small crystals and hung with several dozen chains of pearl. Her red hair had been arranged in a wavy almost-braid, her bangs hanging around her face.

She suddenly stood up, taking a seat next to him. Her hip pressed uncomfortably close against his and he adjusted his weight in an attempt to put some distance between them. She seemed oblivious to his subtle bid for space because she brought her finely manicured hand up to brush several strands of silver away from his eyes.

"I wanted to apologize, Father Nightroad, for the incident with the Fleur de Mal almost twelve months ago. I…acted shamefully. And to _you_, of all people."

Abel's wintry eyes found her cobalt blue ones and she smiled as she pressed even closer. Her hand came across his cheek, gently pulling him closer. And he suddenly moved, his hand coming up and over hers as he gently pulled away.

"Esther, it's alright. But _this _isn't."

"What are you talking about, Father?" She asked, leaning even closer.

He again shifted to put a bit of space between them. He pulled her hand away, setting it back down in her lap as he looked away for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

"Is there…someone else?" Esther finally asked.

Abel didn't hesitate before he nodded. And for the first time the young queen broke down. She buried her pale face in her hands, sobbing with passionate abandon.

"But…I tried so hard…" She wept.

"Shhh, Esther. It's over, but it's alright." He replied, his hand on her shoulder in fatherly affection.

Abel quieted her, telling her that she didn't need to try anymore. He had freed her, and she needed to free herself. And Esther nodded in quiet agreement; there was no denying that she loved him. But she simply couldn't love the man in front of her and the creature he became. And that was the fundamental difference between her and Sakura: Sakura had reconciled that both sides were one person, one soul, one beating heart. Sakura had come to realize that the Crusnik was only one facet of the man she loved. Esther wasn't sure why she had come, but, as she dried her face, she realized she felt…like a burden had been stripped away.

She smoothed her dress over her thighs before she clasped her hands benignly in front of her as she walked through the double doors. Her face was clean, her eyes white and clear. She looked every bit the monarch she had grown to be.

Abel walked beside her, smiling. His choice had been a made a long time ago. Sakura was too much to him and she ran too deep his veins for him to turn away, even for a woman he had loved before. But the meeting had been good for them: it had resolved the path for them. Esther was free to move her life along, likely with Ion Fortuna, if the Methuselah's frequent and lengthy visits were any indication. But the silver-haired priest also had a lover to return to.

As her guard approached to escort her back to her waiting car, she turned to him and finally asked, "Is she…that woman who was with you earlier?"

"Sakura…" He trailed off, his lips pulling up. Esther didn't need to ask for anything more.

She turned away, adding, "I'm still your friend, Father. Please, don't ever think less of me."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He assured her as her guards surrounded her and ferried her away.

* * *

Sakura pushed away the cup despite the enticing smell. She just couldn't stomach anything, not even Kate's brand of tea. And, really, all the strong smell of winter pine nuts did was remind her of Abel's wintry blue eyes. She set her head down on her arms, sighing to herself. She didn't know why she was suddenly so jealous of his attention.

But understanding was short in coming and sharp in realization: Losing Abel meant losing not only her lover, but her teacher and her savior. In many ways, he was her security blanket. And if he turned away from her, she wasn't sure what she would do.

She gasped as a pair of hands came down on her shoulders, abruptly jolting her from her thoughts.

"Easy, Sakura, it's just me." Abel told her, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you heard me come in."

Sakura spun so abruptly as she stood up that she knocked both her chair and her tea over. His startle was apparent as his brow knit with a silent question. She pressed her back against the edge of the table, irrationally wondering if he had betrayed her in the confines of those closed chambers.

But before she could stop herself, she had pushed up on the balls of her feet, looping her arms around his neck and bringing her lips to his. He stiffened with shock for only a moment before his arms came around her waist. She pulled away a moment later, tears running down her face.

"What on Earth has gotten into you?" He asked not unkindly as he pushed a lock of pink hair behind her ear.

And then Sakura realized why he didn't understand…the thought of leaving her had never even crossed his mind. And she only felt all the guiltier for having allowed it to come across her.

"I'm so sorry, Abel."

"For what?" He asked.

"Because I doubted you…"

"Is that all?" He replied, genuinely amused.

"But…Abel…"

He pressed his index finger against her lips, silently quieting her. He leaned forward, smiling at her as he replied, "You'll simply know better for next time."

"Abel…" She breathed.

"Come what may, it's going to be okay." He said.

TBC


	7. Two Hundred and Fifty Dark Stars

_**Chapter Seven: Two Hundred and Fifty Dark Stars, Part One**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Trinity Blood, or the awesome song I borrowed the title from. **_

Caterina looked through the port window of the ship bearing them home, watching the clouds pass them by. A knock at her door, however, jolted her from her reverie and she called back her permission to step in. Abel stepped in first, holding the door for Sakura.

"Ah, yes," Caterina smiled, "I've been meaning to speak with you two. Please, take a seat."

They did as she asked and she poured two cups of tea for them before pushing a basket of scones towards them. Naturally, Abel dug in, more interested in food than politics. But Sakura just politely sipped at her tea while waiting for the Cardinal to continue.

"I apologize for having you two run the gauntlet that you did. It was never my intention. However, you did succeed in securing some political and military aid for us, and for that I thank you. But, now onto the business that we'll soon have to deal with in Rome."

"Business?" Sakura asked; they were agents, so it was uncommon for them to deal with most of the red tape nonsense that Caterina worked around on a regular basis.

"Yes, it seems that the Inquisition is going to be holding an Instatement Ceremony this evening for their newest second in command. I thought it prudent that the AX be there."

It had become second nature to assume that if the AX was functioning in the field, they were going to clash with the Inquisition. And even more so now that they lacked Francesco. At least a human could be reasoned with to an extent. But now they were operating, essentially, as a stand-alone agency under the Vatican's name but without a direct branch to report to. That made them especially dangerous.

"But, Duchess Milan, what good will that do?" Sakura asked.

"For all intensive purposes, nothing. However, I want to make sure that they know we're watching them. Given they don't have their superior's name and reputation to worry about anymore, they'll likely only get more and more dangerous." Caterina replied.

"Is there no negotiating with them, Caterina? Perhaps we could absorb them into a branch under your control."

"I believe that would be unwise, Abel. It's reasonable to assume that some of them are still bitter over my brother's betrayal. They could very well reflect that upon us. If they were under my command, it isn't unreasonable to assume that they would deliberately perpetrate my downfall, and, consequently, that of the AX."

Sakura sighed; it seemed incredibly counterintuitive to their purpose as a church to have formed factions within itself. _A house divided, _she thought, _cannot stand…_But the fact of the matter was they had no choice but to stand. And, even worse, it was hardly that one of the parties was putting on a façade for public opinion; they all genuinely believed they were carrying out God's will.

"In any event, from now on, we have to operate under the assumption that the Inquisition is actively trying to force us into a poor political or religious corner. I believe the instatement of their newest operative is to provide them more numbers in a Papal vote. The Holy Counsel is eager to appoint a new head to their organization, but Petro may be beginning to suspect the entire church is corrupt. If that's the case, he'll fight to keep his agency a stand-alone. Please, keep that in mind during your operations from now on. I have already spoken with the other agents, and they are aware of the situation."

They nodded, agreeing to her proposal and the logic behind it. She smiled at them, refilling their tea cups before adding, "Now, about your attire for the event. It's crucial we put on the proper type of show. The Inquisition is cunning and any slight, even an imagined one, will be magnified. It is absolutely imperative at this time that we maintain at the very least the veneer of cooperation and oneness within the Vatican."

* * *

Sakura adjusted her formal attire for the third time that week. And instead of ebony silk with white lace or blue silk with gold accent, she was wearing a dress…It was a ridiculous number: a strapless crimson silk dress with a sweetheart neckline and empire waist accents in white gems. It had a trumpet skirt adorned with white flowers in the same type of crystals that fell asymmetrically to reveal the white and gold skirt beneath it.

"For people who don't give a damn about public opinion, they sure demand a lot." She huffed to herself as she slipped on her black heels.

She knew that they were all going to be similarly dressed, but it didn't help her mood at all. The Inquisition had never cared about opinion or appearances. That much was clear from their prayer alone, which called for the death of any 'heretic', be it man, woman, or child.

Sighing, she adjusted her hair and stepped out of her room.

* * *

Caterina took her seat, her fan folded in her lap over her gown: a deep emerald silk with off the shoulder sleeves that extended to her wrists and belled below them. The front of the full skirt was split straight up the middle to reveal a panel of white brocade. She wore a number of delicate chains and bracelets and a choker of gold filigree twined around several emeralds.

She glanced at Abel and Sakura as they took their seats beside Vaclav and the Professor. They all smiled back at her, silently lending her strength. And she returned the gesture, silently assuring them that she did in fact have the situation under the best of her control.

The music began to chime and the ceremony began; the lights dimmed until only the center pavilion was lit. Petro stepped forward, reciting a number of prayers before he gave his speech-a lengthy monologue on the great expectations he had for his newest recruit. It concluded with their deceptively benign mission statement to "Purge the enemies of God."

He turned around, straightening his spine as his hand rose in a salute. The curtains that hid the back pergola lifted…

And Sakura felt like she had just been slapped in the face; her hands came down on the edge of her chair, her nails biting into the unfinished wood as she fought to keep herself seated. She couldn't believe what she was seeing…

One the stage in front of her stood a man not more than six feet, his long chocolate brown hair pulled back, his pupil-less lavender eyes staring into the crowd…Hyuga Neji…was the newest second in command for the Inquisition.

"Sister, are you alright?" The Professor asked, leaning over to glance at her. Her face was entirely too white and she looked almost as if she was in pain.

Sakura shook her head, "I'm sorry…excuse me…I…I need some air." She stood up abruptly, walking past them with as much dignity as she could until she turned down the hall. She walked along it until she came to the Vatican gardens.

She quickly realized the cool air was doing nothing for her nausea and found a place to sit. She stretched out against the marble bench, staring into the sky. Wide…empty…She was hit by a sudden attack of vertigo and quickly drew her arm up and over her eyes.

"Sister? Are you well?"

She pulled her arm up slightly, glancing up at the man kneeling beside her. She nodded, "I'm fine, Vaclav. I'm okay." And she didn't know if she was trying to convince him or herself.

She tried to sit up, but he gently pushed her back down. "Take a moment. You look pale."

She waited for a moment, letting blood return to her face and head before she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She wiped a cold sweat away from eyes with the back of her hand.

Vaclav sat down beside her, "You know him, don't you?"

"Better than I'd like to admit." During the brief span of time she had been a chunin, she had worked closely with Neji on several A-class missions. She was often the only medic both available for deployment and capable of keeping up with a jonin squad. He had always had a certain intolerance in his personality, but his strong sense of morality usually off-set it.

"I am sorry, then, that you had to meet under these circumstances." The green-eyes priest replied.

Sakura stood up, brushing herself off and composing herself as best she could, "I haven't given up on him, yet."

* * *

Neji walked through the door, closing it behind him. His eyes narrowed and he sighed, "I should have known you'd be here."

Sakura's green eyed glance was narrow and she didn't immediately respond. Her arms were crossed over her breasts, her back pressed against the wall, the flat of one heel pressed against the same wall.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"What are you doing?" She replied.

"Taking my place."

"Your place among…"

"Watch your tongue." He interrupted.

Sakura felt a shiver of fear race down her spine; was he telling her that they were being tapped? Was he warning her…or threatening her…?

"What place?" She finally hissed.

"My place as a skilled combatant among other warriors." He replied.

"Their creed, by their own admittance, calls for the death of children!" She cried.

"Only heretics, Sakura. Why do you care if blasphemers and sinners are destroyed?" He said.

"God would want those people to come back to him. Not their destruction."

"And what is your excuse for the vampire plague? They destroyed our homeland, Sakura," He replied icily, "I would consider you a traitor for not following my example."

Sakura drew herself up to her full height, finding his eyes with her own. She chose her words carefully, the burden of Caterina's fate weighing on her shoulders. The AX…all of them were counting on her to not force them between the enemy in the church and the enemy lurking outside of it. "Consider me what you will. I've never betrayed anyone."

"And what about Naruto? Sasuke?" He asked with a smirk.

"What do you know about that? You weren't even there." She replied. She was careful not to let her anger show in her words or on her face. He hadn't been there…He hadn't been the one to make the hard choice she did.

"More than you'd like to think." He said, his smirk widening.

"Enlighten me." She responded dryly.

"You advocated for their death. Not their salvation."

"They were already gone." Sakura said, unwilling to elaborate.

"How is that any different from what we do to the heretics?"

"I waited until there was proof. I didn't slaughter a village of innocents. People…are sometimes just trying to survive." She left the implication unsaid: Sometimes, the Vatican did fail. Sometimes, the church wasn't there. But it wasn't for lack of trying on Caterina's part.

"There is no difference, Sakura. You killed them. And we will kill the heretics, the vampires."

Sakura shook her head, turning around and walking away as she said, "I think your father would be disappointed."

She waited until she was outside to vent her fury; her fist slammed harmlessly against a metal door, bloodying her knuckles. Angry tears rolled down her face, curtained with pink hair.

* * *

"And you're certain he's your enemy?" Abel asked, his arms looped around her chest.

"He all but said it." She replied.

Abel frowned but didn't say anything. Sakura sighed, leaning against his leg. He was sitting on the edge of the bed and she was curled between his legs on the floor. His chin rested lightly on top of her head.

She stood up, glancing at him over her shoulder and asking, "Would you help me out of this thing?"

Abel reached up, taking the zipper and pulling down. The sheath of scarlet silk loosened, but she kept it pinned in place with her arm as she walked to the bathroom.

He turned away, looking into the flames dancing in the hearth of their room. The newest turn of events didn't bode well with him. And given Sakura's explanation of the young man's abilities, he felt they had just cause for concern.

The door of the bathroom opened, interrupting his thoughts, and she stepped out. She smiled at him as she sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning her head against his shoulder. His lips pulled up similarly as he remarked, "My shirt, I see."

"Of course." She replied. She often wore his shirts to bed. It was something about his smell that just helped her sleep. And she had a feeling she was going to need it.

"You…responded quite strongly today." He finally observed.

Sakura stiffened, pulling her bottom lip through her teeth before replying, "We…weren't a couple or anything…But he would have had access to those codes. I have no guarantee that he isn't a sleeper agent and, if that's the case, the entire Inquisition is suspect."

_If not the entire church…_She thought to herself.

"How many other people would have access to those codes?" He asked.

"Hundreds, maybe thousands." She admitted. "But…I don't know how many of them survived."

Abel nodded, "We'll have to wait and see."

"I know but…I'm impatient." She admitted.

"I know it's hard to wait, but we have eternity to do what needs to be done. God works in mysterious ways."

"Abel…that message was meant for us." She said, "The Angel of Death…it couldn't be anyone else."

"We destroyed him, Sakura." Abel replied resolutely.

Sakura had no rational reason to think otherwise but she couldn't shake the feeling that something very wrong was brewing.

"Get some rest, dear. The world isn't going to stop turning and in the morning we need to be ready to turn with it." He smiled.

She nodded, mostly to put an end to the conversation, and crawled into the bed they shared. She closed her eyes and heard the click of the lamp as he turned it off and slid in next to her.

And for the first time she was tempted to reach out to him and kiss him and let his hands wander across her body…she could almost feel his breath on her neck as he rolled over her, his eyes on hers as his slender fingers drew circles on her taut stomach…

She bit down hard on her lip to stop the fantasy before it could take on a life of its own. He could probably already smell her arousal and she knew he firmly believed in marriage before sex. Not because he believed in the strictest interpretation of the Bible, but because he needed the commitment and stability in his world.

"Abel…" She whispered.

"Yes?" He asked sleepily.

"I…goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sakura." He replied, looping his arm around her and pulling her closer.

TBC


	8. First Frigid Kiss of Fall

_**Chapter Eight: First Frigid Kiss of Fall**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Trinity Blood!**_

Caterina looked up from her cup of tea, rather startled to see her favorite silver-haired agent standing in front of her so early.

"Good morning, Abel." She told him, unsure of what else to say.

"Lady Caterina…can we talk?" He asked.

Shocked by his formality, she could only nod and motion to the chair across from her.

He nodded back, stiffly sitting down with his back so ridge she had to wonder how it didn't hurt. She poured him a cup of tea, stirring in the appropriate number of sugar cubes until it became the syrup he loved to drink. Pushing the ceramic at him, she folded her hands and asked, "What would you like to discuss?"

"Would you be willing to…advance my per diem a bit?" He asked.

She knew he was bad with money but he had never asked for an advance. Normally, if he got into financial trouble, he worked in off himself or the church was able to pay it. She was starting to get very anxious about exactly what kind of monetary problems he had managed to encounter under her watch…

She coughed lightly into her hand to bide some time before replying, "I'm afraid I'll need a sufficient explanation before I can authorize that kind of transfer."

He glanced over his shoulder as if he was worried someone might overhear him before he leaned in and said quietly, "I was thinking that I might invest in some…jewelry for Sakura."

Caterina resisted the urge to pull her lips up in annoyance. She wasn't about to put money into adorning one of her operatives, let alone one who never even wore so much as lipstick if she could help it. And she was just about to tell him as much when realization hit.

"Abel…you weren't by any chance considering diamonds, were you?"

He just bobbed his head.

Smiling, she dropped the formal façade and told him, "Abel, go find whatever you want for her and don't worry about the cost. I'll treat it as a personal expense."

"Thank you so much, Caterina." He replied.

"It's the least I can do." She said.

"I don't mean to interrupt, Duchess Milan, but personal business may very well have to wait." Kate said as she appeared beside her in a stream of organized photons. "Our satellites have started to pick something up coming out of the Dead Zone."

* * *

The AX sat in a tight circle around the screen in the Duchess' office. Flashing across it was a monochrome picture of a small segment of the Russian Dead Zone. Beside the image, several charts reading everything from water content in the soil to toxins in the air flickered and beeped.

"Within the last hour, the radiation readings have skyrocketed." Kate began worriedly.

"There are a number of old nuclear bases buried under the ground, but I thought they had been contained." The Professor replied, his teeth clicking faintly on the base of his pipe as he bit down on it.

"So had we." Kate responded.

"What do you think it going on?"

"If it was only plant that was approaching the red zone, we wouldn't be so concerned. But it's not…" The screen changed as Kate spoke, "The plants were all at one time connected to provide a stronger network. And now all of them are rapidly approaching nuclear meltdown. The consequences of such a meltdown would be catastrophic: radiation would spill into the Empire."

"I thought Methuselah has a heightened resistance to it." Sakura replied.

"They do. Where as a lethal dose for humans is approximately four hundred and fifty rems of radiation, a lethal dose in a Methuselah is roughly six hundred rems; but this disaster would contaminate more than two thirds of the Empire with doses of radiation in excess of twenty _thousand_ rems." Kate responded.

"Not to sound cold," Sakura asked, "But aren't Inquisition forces better equipped to handle this situation?"

"They would be, but we have no guarantee they wouldn't allow the chain reaction to occur with the express purpose of weakening the Empire."

"That would result in all out nuclear war!" Abel exclaimed.

"Precisely." Caterina sighed, "This is precisely the circumstance we've been working to avoid. I'm attempting to notify the Empire as we speak, but communications are already being affected by the increase in radiation in the air. I have no guarantee I'll be able to patch through and explain the situation."

"Certainly the Inquisition's satellites have also picked up on this." Vaclav began. "We might very well clash with them in the field."

"It's a necessary risk." Caterina replied, knowing full well the situation it would place her in. If the Vatican forces started falling to each other, she could be charged with treason. But even if she refused to intervene, it was just as likely she would be accused. The New Human Empire was the most technologically advanced force in the world. It was precisely that reason why the Vatican had attempted to remain on good terms with them for so many years. Failure to step in would appear to the Papal Counsel as treason, as well.

"_Iron Maiden II _is prepared to launch and Father Tres has already started preparing the necessary injections. There is, however, a considerable risk of entering the area even with the radiation blockers in the system." Kate told them.

"A professional hazard." The Professor stated as he rose and adjusted his cuff.

"Good luck and God bless." Caterina said as her agents stood up and began to file out of the room.

* * *

"These are potent doses, so they will burn." The Albion knight said as he pushed a hypodermic into Sakura's arm. She just nodded as he depressed the plunger; pain shot up her arm, hot and fiery, but dissipated a moment later.

"I'm more worried about you guys." She responded, looking at him, Vaclav, and Tres. They all had some kind of organic tissue…and much of it was absolutely vital…

"We'll be fine." Vaclav assured her with a graceful bow.

She nodded, not because she believed him but because she had no other response.

The intercom suddenly crackled to life and Kate's voice came over the system, "We are preparing to dispatch."

A screen shot down from the ceiling and a series of blueprints danced past them. In the next fraction of a second, they layered over each other and were projected into a three dimensional holographic. A red line raced through the maze before stopping just outside of the reactor core.

"This is the fastest path to the control room. You have a little less than half an hour until the reactor begins to meltdown. You need to trigger the cooling systems and flood the vents with liquid nitrogen and get the liquid graphite circulating around the core again. This is all the help I can give you. There's too much radiation in the air for my systems to project to the ground level."

"Stand-bye, Kate." Abel replied, "We'll do what we can."

"I will. Good luck, AX." She responded.

"Here goes nothing." Sakura sighed as they walked down to the belly of the ship. A small platform slid from the opening doors and they stepped onto it. Less than five minutes later, they were on the ground.

"I don't see anything…" Abel trailed off as he looked around.

The ground was flat and sandy with no sign of a building of any kind…

"Forty degrees to the right, Father Nightroad." Tres responded, his gaze turning to a small, almost boxy protrusion from the ground.

"We don't have much time to waste, so we best be on our way." The Professor commented as he walked towards it.

But far from being locked and sealed, the way it should have been, the door was flapping in the heavy winds. Given the immediate situation, Sakura didn't think much of it…until she walked through it and her eyes happened to fall on the chipped hinges, where the metal had torn…

Turning her gaze away from it, she followed Abel and Vaclav down the first flight of stairs as Leon and the Professor covered the well above them. Tres, in the meantime, started down a different hall with the intention of establishing a secondary consol; if necessary, he would patch through the electronics systems using his own and manually override the firewalls and safeties in place. All and all, the sweep was by the book: moving one at a time, securing the area behind them and continuing. Method, systematic, clean…

But come the second flight, she was beginning to see things that made her nervous: dusty prints on some of the steps, fresh scrapes along the wall…

"Abel…I don't think we're alone." She finally whispered as her ears picked up on some distant step in the dark hallways.

He nodded, cocking his revolver with his free hand. His eyes darted over his shoulder and into the tunneling oblivion to their right. He motioned for them to continue as he slipped into the shadows.

Vaclav shot her a meaningful glance as he took a step forward. They were only about ten minutes into the mission, but he didn't want to waste any time if he could help it.

She was still in the middle of a step when something flashed silver in the dark. Reactively, she threw herself to the ground, using the motion to pull her own percussion revolver from the holster on her thigh. Rising steadily, she pressed her back against the wall behind her and leveled her gun.

"Show yourself." Vaclav demanded calmly, his hand drifting to his own firearm.

But all the skittered from the darkness was a pair of cracked and bloody glasses…

"Sister, continue. I'll assist Father Nightroad." The tall priest beside her said, already disappearing into the background.

She said nothing as she took off in a full sprint down the next set of stairs. At the bottom of the flight was a door and she realized that she was only a scant few meters from their objective. Kicking hard off of the last step, she tore open the door and made a hard right.

Her eyes caught a small sign on the door fifty feet ahead of it: Central Control.

Then her gaze darted to the watch on her wrist: fifteen minutes to go. She looked up just in time to catch the doorknob and push the steel obstacle away.

Stumbling into the room with her gained inertia, she suddenly realized something was very wrong: the entire control panel had been completely destroyed…

Cursing, she reached for her earpiece, "Tres! I need you to hack the system!"

The lights above her suddenly flickered and died and, in the darkness, she could see a fatal red glow begin to creep from the farthest corridor: the reactor chamber.

"Tres!" She cried again, panic beginning to creep up.

"Negative. Electronic systems are down." The android replied.

Behind her, feet clattered against the cold metal and she turned to see Leon and the Professor standing there. The former of the two told her, "Damn Death Hunters overpowered us!"

"They're swarming the building." Vaclav called from the darkness, Abel not far behind him.

For a long moment, it was silent between the members as the defeat began to sink in. There was no way they could escape the blast at such close range and no way to prevent the meltdown from setting off numerous other plants.

"Go." Sakura finally said.

"What?" Leon demanded.

"Go!" She yelled.

She shared one glance with Abel, who nodded resolutely and began up the nearest flight of stairs. The others followed him reluctantly and in a moment the hall was clear again. Then she took a deep breath and walked toward the door that glowed white with radiant heat.

She kicked it in, feeling the sole of her boot stick slightly as the metal melted the rubber. The resulting wave of heat nearly knocked her down and her arm came up instinctively, seeking to shield her face as it struck her. Her uniform, comprised of a polyester blend, began to melt against her flesh; she could feel blisters begin to form on her skin and nausea set in as she was dosed with incredible amounts of radiation.

"Crusnik 05. Nanomachine. Power output: seventy percent. Activate!" She muttered, letting the buzz of the creatures in her blood fill her.

Her wings spread out behind her, her lips bleeding red and her eyes taking on a lethal shine.

Her crimson gaze darted to the growing glow from the hallway and she took a singular deep breath as she mustered her strength. Around her, water began to condense from the air and hang in a silvery curtain around her. The temperature began to drop and particles of ice began to form on the walls and floor.

* * *

"What the hell is she doing?" Leon snapped as a door behind them exploded with a spike of ice.

"She's going to cool the reactor." Abel responded breathlessly as he pushed through a door.

"That would take temperatures…" The Professor began.

"Of just about absolute zero." Abel finished for him.

* * *

It was just under the temperature of liquid nitrogen when Sakura realized that seventy percent was going to be enough. She repeated the command, feeling a tingle of fear shoot down her spine. She had never fused to even eighty percent and knew she was walking a fine line between sanity and madness. But she didn't let herself stop.

"…Eighty percent. Activate."

The glow and the heat began to eat at the ice crystals as she tried to push them further along the edge of the reactor; but though the floor around her was several hundred below zero, the reactor's temperature was up in the thousands and beating back her attempts to cool it.

'Not enough…' She thought to herself, swallowing hard.

"Crusnik 05. Nanomachine. Power output: Ninety percent. Activate!"

She could feel something in herself start to slip away but she didn't stop. She kept pushing the heat and the radiation back. When she closed her eyes she imagined the particles beginning to slow as the room continued to cool.

Blood began to run from her eyes and trickle from her nose, more spilling from the corner of her lips. Scarlet beaded on her skin from her pores, running in rivets down her limbs. Skin tore, muscle dissolved, and her nails began to pull away from the beds as the nanomachines broke down her own tissues to fuel the immense output of energy.

Steel began to fracture as its matrix was interrupted by the immense chill and she could hear the supports begin to creak as the weight above her threatened to collapse the structure. The floor around her began to groan as the difference from the heat of her body and the air warped the atomic structure. And even as the building around her began to sway precariously she forced herself to extend the net of ice through miles of underground tunnels to cool the other reactors to cool the reaction chambers between them.

'Just a little more…' She chanted to herself even as the blood in her own veins began to crystallize. If she could stop the one, the others would power down, like flipping the switch on a circuit…

Pain shot through her body as organs were torn by the jagged clumps of blood in her system. But it wasn't until the sound of life itself powering down and stopping struck her that she realized the system was beginning to shut down. Without enough heat to maintain nuclear fusion, the reactor was beginning to slow down but it hadn't stopped…

The building was fracturing and collapsing around her and she forced her wings up. With one powerful beat, she lifted herself into the air as the ceiling began to cave in. But even as she forced herself up through the hollow column in the building formed by the stairwells, she continued to force the temperature down further and further.

Ice collected around the reactor room and began to slip in, building into a massive crystal of ice that jutted up through the failing building.

* * *

"Abel!" Vaclav called over his shoulder as he watched the ground sink and sand begin to drain down towards the basement. But a fraction of a second later an immense pillar of what looked like glass began to push through the center of the chaos.

"It is Sister Sakura." Tres replied automatically as she appeared at the level of the port window.

The ship was hanging several hundred feet in the air and the crystal matrix of ice ended just below her feet. Below them, in a perfect circle around the reactor, a film of ice had engulfed the sands.

She glanced at them tiredly through the small pane of glass before lifting herself onto the deck above them. She had barely touched down before she felt the nanomachines her body shut off; she fell forward, catching herself on her shaky arms and knees.

Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, but instead she found herself choking on her own blood. A fine spray of crimson showered the deck of the _Iron Maiden II_.

She vaguely heard Abel's cry as his boots fell against the metal. His coat flared out behind him as he fell to his knees and pulled her up. He held her close to his chest, acutely aware of the thin line of blood that seeped from the corner of her lips. But he didn't dare ask how far she had pushed herself to manage what she had…

"Let's get you inside." He smiled, supporting her with his arm.

She nodded, leaning on him and letting him lead her to the infirmary. Naturally, the Professor was already there, his tray clean and laid out.

"It seems that you and Abel have more in common than you would like to admit." He said as she sat down on the table.

"And that would be?" She asked despite her exhaustion.

"Neither of you can manage even one mission without potentially life-threatening injuries." He quipped.

* * *

"How is she, Professor?" Abel asked as the Albion knight appeared from the medical bay door.

"She's tired and there was quite a bit of internal bleeding and radiation poisoning, but her readings are steadily stabilizing."

The silver-haired priest released a grateful breath, "Thank you."

"It's my job, Abel." He replied, walking off down the opposite hall, "Consider resting yourself."

"I will." He assured him, glancing once more at Sakura through the window of the infirmary before retiring to his own room.

* * *

She groaned as someone brushed her hair away from her face, their fingertips grazing her skin. Her eyes fluttered open and her lips were already pulling up in the smile she saved for Abel when she suddenly realized it was him.

There wasn't even time to cry about before oblivion claimed her.

TBC


	9. Twilight

_**Chapter Nine: Twilight **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Trinity Blood!**_

_**GRAPHIC SEXUAL CONTENT WARNING!**_

Sakura's eyelids fluttered open and she inhaled sharply; the room was so white it hurt her eyes to look at.

'Where…am I?' She wondered to herself.

She shifted, trying to get her bearings, and felt the cloth run along her bare skin…her gaze drifted down to her body.

She swallowed hard when she realized her torn, dirty clothing had been replaced with a dress in an Empiric cut. It had a paneled corset in crimson that wrapped around her chest, exposing the pale half-moons of her breasts before clasping behind her back. It was sewn against a strip of red cloth that ran up the right side of her torso, affixing a layered skirt. The lower half of the dress was asymmetrically cut so that one side of the scarlet fabric ran up as high as her hip while the other would trail on the floor. The first layer was composed of flowing pleats while the second tied over it on her opposite hip. Numerous jewels dotted the cloth and several gold chains ran across her exposed stomach.

Her hand crept along the cloth around her, trying to get a grip on something. And then she realized it was hardly the cool white sheets of the infirmary that were pooled around her…it was emerald green silk and crushed velvet…

She sat up rigidly, nausea rising in her stomach when she realized she had been laid out like an elaborate gift. She swung her legs over the bed, silently cursing the sudden jingle of chains as the ones wrapped around her calves shifted.

"You're not going anywhere, Haruno." A voice behind her quipped.

She spun, curling instinctively to defend herself, "Kabuto…"

"Don't look so happy to see me." He sneered, tapping a hypodermic needle and releasing a stream to clear the air bubbles.

"What do you want?" She demanded, wishing she had a weapon in her hands.

"It's not really a matter of what _I _want, so much as what's necessary." He responded, descending on her.

She tried to push him away, but he easily pinned her to the bed with his weight. His knee dug into her stomach and his hand captured her wrists.

"If you hadn't pushed yourself so far past your limits a few hours ago, you might actually be able to do something now." He smirked as he slid the needled into the crook of her elbow.

He didn't draw out the contact, though, and slipped off of her a moment later. He glanced over at her almost absently a second later, as if he had forgotten something.

Sighing, he said, "I really should make you more presentable."

She wanted to tell him if he got any closer she would kill him, but her vision was beginning to soften at the edges and she could feel the room start to tilt as the drug took effect.

He drew closer and looked down at her disdainfully before brushing her hair away from her face. With his free hand, he adjusted the skirt of her dress and fixed the corseted bodice. Then he smoothed more flower petals around her, replacing the ones displaced by her sudden movements.

"I would have liked more to have been done," Another voice invaded her fuzzy thoughts, "But it seems we'll have to settle for this."

Her eyes drifted over to Dietrich, but she was so far gone with the sedative that she didn't even have the energy to feel the usual revulsion.

He suddenly turned his topaz colored eyes to her, "Kabuto, are we ready?"

"Yes, sir." He responded.

"Excellent." His hand went to his shirt cuff and he withdrew a small glass vial. Smiling at the kunoichi, he asked, "Do you know what these are?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed in confusion, but she couldn't force her lips to form words.

"These are Cain's ashes from his first descent through the atmosphere. But I don't think you're aware that, unlike the Bacilli in Methuselah, the nanomachines do not mutate when they enter a host. The ones in you are the same ones as the dormant strain here." He shook the small bottle for emphasis.

Realization hit her like a blow to the stomach and she tried to force herself away. Kabuto, however, seized her wrist, yanked her back and remarked, "Ever the feisty one…"

Dietrich nodded as though it was an unavoidable inconvenience. With that motion, he flicked the cap off of the vial with his thumb and shot a knowing glance at the silver-haired man across from him as he unceremoniously scattered the ashes on the floor.

Kabuto responded in kind as he produced a scalpel from the folds of his clothing and drew her arm back. He didn't even bothering looking at her as he drew it hard across her wrist. Blood pulsed from the laceration and spilled across the floor, mixing with the soft dust on the tile.

For a long moment, nothing happened…and then the ashes began to writhe and twist and lift and take shape. They rose from the floor and slowly in the deep red depths a face and body began to take shape. Slowly, muscle and flesh began to coat the living fluid and give it substance until…finally, her nightmare was standing before her.

Dietrich and Kabuto both bowed low to him with respectful, breathless exclamations of, "Mein Herr."

He smirked at them, "Such a shame I couldn't be back sooner."

"He…killed you…" Sakura gasped, unable to reconcile what she was seeing with what she knew.

"Yes…" Cain replied thoughtfully, "I suppose he did."

Horrified, she could do nothing but try vainly to pull back as his hand cupped her cheek.

"I can see why my brother so favors you." He commented.

"How do you know that?" She hissed, shivering at his touch.

"Your blood has transferred those memories and from his blood, that birthed you, Crusnik 05, I know more than you dare to think." He told her.

"My Lord, shall we leave you?" Dietrich asked.

"Yes." He responded.

With a deep bow, Dietrich backed away, "I shall have food and drink prepared."

Cain nodded as he turned his gaze back to the kunoichi before him, "My foolish brother has not yet tasted your full fruit. Your blood is _pallid_ compared to your body."

His clawed hand danced from its place on her jaw and down her neck. Slowly, it crept over her chest and down to her exposed stomach. His hand slid through the chains looped around her hips and over to the bow that held the dress together.

With slow, deliberate movements, he undid it and folded back the first skirt to reveal even more of her body. She felt his breath dust her bare thighs and gasped, "Stop!"

He just smirked at her as he purposefully undid her corset and laid it open, like he was opening a present. He leaned against her, forcing her head up with his free hand and pressing his lips against her throat as his legs slipped along either side of her hips.

She felt his fangs penetrate the fragile skin and hot blood well to the surface. She bit down hard on her lip, determined not to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry.

"You can't win." Cain smirked, turning his head up so he faced her, his lips red and wet with her blood.

"I don't have to so long as you lose." She hissed.

"But I won't." He assured her as she forced her legs apart.

"I won't ever be yours, Cain." She told him.

"But after this you won't be my brother's, either." He smirked as he thrust up between her legs.

She groaned as his invasion tore unprepared flesh; blood seeped out from the connection of their bodies and stained the sheets around her. As he recoiled to push against her again, she slipped her arm between them and tried to lever him off.

He just laughed as he captured her hands and pinned them. He smirked as he leaned back down and brutally sank his fangs back into her throat. And she heard him whisper, "This will not be over soon for you."

She wasn't sure how much time passed, only that, as blood was drawn from her in alarming volumes, she began to lapse in and out of consciousness. And when she eventually woke again, it was over and the bed was drenched in blood…When she tried to push herself up on her hand, blood seeped up in a small puddle around her fingers.

For a long moment, she just sat there, trying to keep the world away…and then she turned over the edge of the bed and was violently ill.

"Disgusting…" Kabuto sighed as he walked into the room.

"I'll kill you if you touch me!" Sakura snapped.

"But you can't." He replied as he took a threatening step forward. "And if you don't believe me, try."

Out of spite and fear, Sakura yelled back, "Crusnik 05. Nanomachine! Power output: forty percent! Activate!"

But nothing happened…

The crushing reality that she was alone and helpless hit her like a slap to the face. Before she could stop them, tears raced down her face, leaving opaque trails on her white skin.

"Don't worry, Sakura." Kabuto cooed sickeningly, "You'll be home soon enough."

* * *

"I should have been watched her more closely." Abel muttered, his head between his hands.

"Abel, there's nothing you could have done. Running yourself ragged wouldn't have saved her and it won't help us now." Caterina responded, resisting the urge to reach out and comfort him. "The important thing is for us to find her now."

"We have no leads, Caterina, no clues…" He trailed off.

"And hope isn't lost, Abel." She told him resolutely.

He glanced up at her, disbelieving but willing to hope.

"God works in mysterious ways, Abel." She reminded him, "Now, go rest and we'll talk in the morning."

Too tired to argue, he just pulled himself up and walked through the door.

It wasn't until after the door closed behind him and she heard his footsteps fade away that she called for Kate, who was quick to appear.

"Yes, Your Eminence?" She asked.

"I want you to dispatch Fathers Nightroad, Wordsworth, Havel, and Iqus to Albion and informally request the Queen's personal aid. I then want you and Dandelion to contact Agent Astharoshe Asran of the Empire and negotiate for a counsel with the Empress."

"Surely all of this isn't necessary, Lady Caterina…Not on the eve of the Pope's arrival in Albion." Kate began.

The woman in red silenced her with a raised hand, "I care for Sakura, but that's hardly the issue at hand. And, as it stands, His Holiness' visit is the only reason we can operate at all."

"Lady Sforza?"

"Sakura is a Crusnik and the bacilli in her body are incredibly potent. We know that there were survivors from her homeland and there still might be. We absolutely cannot afford to have an enemy against the church converted into a Crusnik. They are our most valuable asset and without the margin of advantage they give us, many of operations would have already ended in failure. The Inquisition, however, is unaware of this. If this information were to be leaked…I don't have to tell you what they would do to Abel and Sakura. Nonetheless, it is imperative that we secure her and keep Father Nightroad out of the Orden's line of fire.

"Yes, Duchess Milan." Kate responded with a nod of her head, fading again into the church's digital systems.

Caterina sat for a moment, staring at her solid oak desk before she pushed her chair out and rose. Her boots clicked faintly on the floor as she stepped up to the window and glanced out into Vatican City.

"Perhaps I'm more like Francesco than I care to admit…" She trailed off, her grey eyes shining dangerously.

* * *

"My Lord, can I get you anything else?" Dietrich asked as he took the man's empty chalice.

"No, Puppeteer." He responded, "I see the Orden has grown small."

"But not weak, Mein Herr."

"Perhaps. My foolish little brother has made life far easier for us now. We do not require numbers as we require skill."

"Contra Mundi?" Dietrich inquired, his eyes shimmering sadistically.

"Do you remember our attempts to turn the Star of Sorrow against Vatican City?"

The man beside him swallowed uncomfortably; ultimately it had been his failure that had prevented them from hacking the matrix and completing their designs. "Yes."

"Believing me to be gone from the plane of his life, he never changed the codes for accessing the satellite arsenal or the Ark."

"That girl has proved useful to us, then."

"More so than she will care to admit." He smirked, privately wondering if he would be there to see her spirit die behind her eyes when she realized she would be the cause of humanity's downfall.

"Shall I have Red Baroness prepare for an operation?" Dietrich asked.

Cain nodded with a vicious pull of his lips. "And prepare that girl, as well."

* * *

She muttered low under her breath, letting her lips form the words to prayers when her mind couldn't begin to file through them. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her barely covered chest and her fingers were laced so tightly they were white. And, in sharp contrast to her bloodless face and hands, her legs and chest were streaked with crimson.

"And…lead us…" She stammered.

"Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."

Startled, she spun hard on her leg and turned to glare at Kabuto. He just smirked back as he lifted a package in his arms to display a fold of colored silk.

"Mein Herr doesn't think it's acceptable to present the world's executioner in ripped and bloody clothing."

Bile rose up in her throat as she forced herself up and jerked away from him, "This isn't over."

"No, but it will be soon." He responded as he took a step forward, "Now, let's be civil about this shall we?"

"Like hell!" She snapped, dropping her stance and letting her eyes narrow.

"Do you think this is going to help you?" He asked, his eyes hidden behind the glare of his glasses.

"God helps those who help themselves." She replied resolutely, though she could feel a tremor low in her stomach.

The silver-haired man in front of her set the box down with a sigh and strode forward; Sakura lashed out, falling back on her strength to turn the tide even a little. But to her horror, he easily caught her wrist, spun her around, and pulled her close.

He whispered viciously, "Don't struggle. No one is going to help you now: not your God, not your lover-you are utterly alone here, Sakura; alone with the silence and the weeping and the cries you know are coming. With each minute, his strength returns and he has your blood to thank for it. You are the mother of the Antichrist and life itself curses you now."

She felt her legs weaken and his arm slid away as she slipped to the floor. Tears ran down her face, cutting clean rivets in the bloody smears.

"Now, shall we continue?" Kabuto asked as his hands began to work at undoing the skirt around her hips.

TBC


	10. Hammer Fall

**_Chapter Ten: Hammer Fall_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Trinity Blood!_**

"Father Nightroad, you mustn't be listless like this before the Queen." Kate admonished him.

"I…I apologize, Sister." He replied quietly.

"Father Nightroad, do try to remember that Sakura is powerful in her own right; a force to be contended with." The Professor cut in, his hand on his friend's shoulder.

Abel nodded, forcing himself to sit up a little taller.

"Now, the Queen's Air Force will be waving us in momentarily." Kate began, "She'll be waiting to greet us. Please, for the sake of the media, put on the proper kind of show."

Heads bobbed in quiet confirmation as Kate began to take the ship in, low and slow. On the screen in front of them, a man motioned for them to keep coming before clearing the runway. As he disappeared from the periphery of the image, the ship touched down on the pavement and came to a gentle stop.

The bay doors behind them slid open and the priests walked in a careful line from the ship, greeting each of the Queen's representatives separately before coming to stand in a row before her. They fell forward as a group, hands turned up and pressed against their chests as they bowed to her.

Esther accepted the show of formality gracefully, smiling at them fondly as she asked them to please come inside. It wasn't until the double doors behind them were sealed and the cameras cut off that she allowed herself to say anything else. "Lady Caterina seemed particularly pressed on this issue. She informed me that, _officially_, you are here on the grounds of preparing the scene for the Pope's visit tomorrow night. But here we may speak freely. I understand one of your agents was abducted and that the situation has started to deteriorate rapidly."

"It _is_ a situation that holds potential ramifications for the entire world." The Professor allowed.

"And those would be?" She asked, taking a seat at a table and motioning for them to do the same.

"Sakura is an artificial Crusnik, created from a transfusion of Father Nightroad's blood. The only reason it was successful was because she had a variant of the Bacillus in her body, already. Without that base for the Crusnik to take hold, she would have died. The problem is, many, if not all, of her people have a strain of the Bacillus. If she's in Orden hands, they might very well be intent on creating a small army of Crusnik." The Professor explained.

The red-head nodded gently, "And what measures have been taken to attempt to find her?"

"The Vatican has exhausted all leads regarding anonymous tips and physical evidence." Tres told her.

"And how can Albion be of service?" She asked.

"We were hoping to work cooperatively with Virgil; Methuselah technology here far surpasses some of the instruments available in Rome." Vaclav responded.

"You have my permission to acquire full access. We will do everything we can to help you." She smiled, rising from her chair and calling an attendant over.

* * *

"The Empress has agreed to hear you case remotely, Lady Caterina," Astha responded, her eyes darting occasionally off to something that lay behind the edge of the screen.

Caterina was just about to respond when a smaller, higher voice broke in, "Thank you, Duchess Kiev. You have been most helpful and I thank you for that."

A small woman appeared at the bottom of the consol. "I understand, Cardinal Sforza, that you had intended to have your agents speak in person with me, but given the gravity of the situation, I felt expedition was of grave importance."

The blonde knew about the Empress' appearance from records that Abel and Sakura had submitted confidentially to her, to be destroyed upon having been read. But she couldn't entirely conceal her shock.

"I know this must be startling," Seth began.

"Forgive me, Empress," Caterina responded, "I was not prepared to speak directly to you."

"Formality won't be necessary." The young woman told her, "Lady Asran has briefed me on the situation and you have the full support of the Empire. I am dispatching Astharoshe and Ion Fortuna to function as envoys for this operation. Do what you must, Cardinal, to recover her."

Caterina nodded thankfully, "How can the Vatican repay you?"

It was a dangerous question; with the Papal Counsel still in reeling from her brother's betrayal and the fracture within the Inquisition, it was unlikely they would be willing to negotiate even a reasonable repayment to the Empire. Worse, they might see it as an outright attack and charge her with treason.

"Times are tumultuous, Duchess Milan. I can ask no more than you do what you can to prevent them from becoming more so. We walk the edge of a knife and to stray but a little would spell disaster in these difficult times."

"I will do all that I can, however, I hold only so much sway." She replied, her eyes narrowing slightly in concern.

"I do believe that that is why your kind have faith." Seth smiled. "The Empire may not share your religious values, but we _do_ know that belief is a powerful thing. You are a talented, cunning woman and I have no doubt that you will do what needs to be done."

"Likewise, Empress."

The screen flickered to black and Caterina flicked the earring hanging from her right lobe.

"Sister Kate?"

"Yes, Lady Caterina?"

"There has been a small change in operations: you and Dandelion are to rendezvous with envoys from the Empire. I'll transmit the coordinates to you momentarily."

"Yes, Duchess." Kate's voice came back.

"There's one more thing, Sister."

"Yes?"

"I will be joining you in Albion."

"Lady Sforza, are you sure that's wise?"

"I will be able to better coordinate our efforts from there. The more closely we work with our allies, the better."

"Duchess…did something happen?"

"Unfortunately; Sakura's abduction came at a very inconvenient time for us. As you are aware, the only reason we were able to enter Albion without suspicion was on the grounds of a goodwill visit from the Pope; security is a priority. But, naturally, with my agents in the field, the task of guarding His Holiness fell to the Inquisition."

"We'll make arrangements for you immediately." Kate told her.

* * *

"Baroness?" Dietrich called lightly as he stepped onto the airship, "Are you almost ready?"

"An operation of this size requires time." She spat, tossing her red hair, "It won't do much good if your diversion lasts all of three minutes."

The Puppeteer sighed in irritation, "Yes, but I doubt that Mein Herr will appreciate being held up for much longer, either."

"Is his captive getting restless?" She sneered.

"She never was one for containment." Dietrich responded with equal venom, "Either way, Contra Mundi desires us to arrive by nightfall."

"The longer you stand her and talk to me, the longer this will take." She shot back, "Leave this instant and we might just be ready on time!"

Deciding not to press his luck, the young man stepped away from the consol and walked back into the labyrinth they used for a headquarters. He strode down the long halls until he came to a heavily secured door.

"How is our Princess of the Eternal Night?" He asked.

"Broken." Kabuto replied with a smirk.

"Excellent. I trust she's been appropriately robed and is ready?"

"But of course."

"Then let us be on our way."

* * *

Night was beginning to fall when Caterina arrived in Albion; the sun had almost entirely disappeared behind the horizon by the time she stepped off the small airship and was escorted from the tarmac to the Queen's chambers.

And despite all the formality that hung heavy in the air, she couldn't help but smile when she looked upon the young woman; it didn't seem that far behind them that she was a bouncy young teenager who occasionally got herself into trouble even under Caterina's watchful eye. And though Esther's cobalt blue gaze had lost none of its shimmer, it was harder to see it under the initial imposing regalia.

She wore a long gown of sapphire blue with a train; the straps started wide at the base of the neckline and tapered to small, gathered bundles at the height of her shoulders before broadening again. The hemline and bodice were elaborately decorated with silver lace. Her slender throat was wrapped in a band of diamond. Similar stones hung from her lobes and were twisted through her fiery red hair.

"Lady Caterina." She smiled.

"Queen Esther." She responded with a tip of her head.

"I'm happy you could be here, even under such dreadful circumstances."

"There will be time for carefree happiness one day."

"I trust in that." Esther replied.

"To business?"

"Of course." The red-head said as she took a seat. Caterina sat across from her.

"His Holiness is already in the city, preparing his address."

"Then it's the perfect time for our operatives to move."

Esther's head bobbed, "My thoughts exactly."

Caterina was just about to respond when one of the Queen's aid rushed in and leaned down low to whisper some frantic message to her. Caterina watched as the young women's face warp slightly before she dismissed him.

"Lady Sforza, it seems we have uninvited guests." Esther said, rising. "An unidentified ship is approaching our airspace; all attempts to establish contact have failed."

"_Iron Maiden II _would be quite capable of engaging an enemy."

"Unfortunately, all attempts to shoot it down have failed." She said, pulling up a screen that displayed a large ship of a faintly Empiric design. The video flickered as shots were fired up at it, only to explode and dissipate meters from the hull itself.

"The Shield of Asmoday…" Caterina trailed off.

"The Orden." Esther added before calling to one of her attendants, "Prepare for enemy hostilities. Evacuate the Central Plaza and the bridge. Move soldiers in and prepare for battle."

* * *

Abel stepped out of his room, drawn by the sudden clamor in the hall. In the chaos, he managed to pick out the face of the Professor and ran over to him.

"What's going on?"

"An enemy airship is descending on Albion." He responded, "We've been ordered into the field."

"What about the Ghetto?"

"You've been ordered to guard it at all costs; there's too much classified technology down there to be left unsupervised."

The silver-haired priest nodded sharply, turning down the hall and disappearing. The Professor turned and began ordering his subordinates to organize lines. He was in the middle of a sentence when he was stopped by a sudden flicker of scarlet in his peripherals.

Turning, he laid eyes on the Duchess Milan. "Lady Sforza, you should have already been evacuated!" He cried.

"I will stand with you, William. The Orden will not intimidate me."

"If you insist upon this course of action, Lady Caterina, then I must insist on being permitted to guard you." Tres cut in front behind, his Jericho already shining.

"Very well, Father Iqus." She nodded, "Now, I do believe we have a rendezvous with the Orden of Rosenkreuz."

* * *

"My Lady, please, evacuate to a safer location." Mary begged.

"I appreciate your concern, Colonel, but I will stand with my troops." Esther replied as her hand drifted to the double-barreled gun she kept strapped to her thigh beneath her silk gowns. Beside her, Caterina's eyes darted to her agents.

"Here it comes!" Someone cried from the background as the ship's massive lights fell down on them.

"Good evening, Queen." Dietrich's voice dripped over the external intercom.

"Lohengrin." She hissed back.

The ship suddenly swung a hard left, revealing the boarding docks. The door of it slid open and he appeared in the gap, "Don't sound so pleased to see me."

Mary discretely motioned to the sharpshooters lines up behind her. One of them snapped his gun up and fired a round, but far from wiping the youth's face from his skull, the bullet ricocheted into the concrete of the bridge.

"Surely you didn't think the Shield of Asmoday could be so easily defeated?" He smirked. "Then again, smaller things have sealed the fates of much larger devices."

His hand reached into the belly of the ship and he yanked a figure into sight.

"Sister!" The Professor cried, his cane clattering to the ground.

She was more bare than clothed in a delicate webbing of silver that wrapped around her breasts and was studded with gems. Her hips were covered with a shred of red cloth that was barely decent in the front before dropping to a train in the back. But none of them could see the fear in her eyes.

High above them, Sakura struggled to free herself. But Dietrich only grinned as he yanked her back to face him. He forced her chin up brutally high, letting his mouth cup hers. Then he pulled her back, smirked, and shoved her from the platform.

Below her, Tres calculated an opening in the shield as she fell, but by then Caterina was shouting at him to hold his fire. Unable to disobey her orders, he lowered his gun and watched as she fell.

The Professor cried out in alarm when she failed to transform…she was racing towards the ground, her face pale…

'I'm…going to die here…' She thought as the ground rushed up.

She only faintly heard Caterina's shout of, "Vaclav!" before a pair of arms came around her and slowed her impetus. Before she knew was what happening, the long-faced priest had pulled her from the air and had her safely on the ground.

Caterina and the Professor swarmed around her, the latter stripping off his jacket and trying to lay it across her. But she pushed it away, gripping his shirt between her hands, "Where's Abel? He has to stop him! He's here in the city!"

"Slow down, Sister." Caterina ordered, "Who's here in the city?"

"Cain!" She cried.

Above them, Dietrich laughed, "And we know who to thank for that." Before the ship pulled back away. Their job was done.

TBC


	11. Hell Rising

_**Chapter Eleven: Hell Rising **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Trinity Blood!**_

"I have to help him!" Sakura yelled as she tried to rise only to find her legs would _not _support her weight. She sank back to the ground, trembling as more blood ran down her legs and dripped from the wounds in her throat.

"Professor, I want her out of her now." Caterina said, using her body to shield her from the majority of the soldiers gathered on the bridge.

"Yes, Duchess." He replied, wrapping her in his jacket and pulling her into his arms.

She looked at him, desperation flashing in her eyes, "Please, please…help him…"

"We will, Sister." Vaclav told her, smiling kindly.

* * *

The blast threw Abel to the ground, shattering his glasses and bloodying his temple. In his fuzzy vision, he saw the forms of men and Methuselah being thrown to the side; their cries ringing in his ears and the smell of blood tainting the air.

With a groan, he forced himself up and took a step forward. He rounded the corner, his chest colliding with another.

Bile rose in his throat and anger twisted his stomach into a painful knot, "Cain?"

"Hello, 02." The man smirked, leaning forward.

Power surged through Abel as the nanomachines in his blood activated. Electricity swam around him as his wings expanded and a distorted scythe grew in his hands. His eyes shone lethal crimson as he swung the weapon forward, "DIE!"

Cain smiled as he stepped to the side, easily evading the blow before turning his gaze back to the silver-haired priest. "I didn't know you were one to shoot the messenger."

Before Abel could retaliate, Cain opened his palm and let a small cross of silver and opal drop from his hand.

Abel's eyes went wide as horrific possibilities flooded his mind, "Sakura…what…If you…"

"I did much worse than kill her, Brother." He commented.

A net of bright blue warped around Abel and skittered across the floor to engulf Cain; the smell of burnt flesh and blood rose like a sickly wave. His body was tossed back into the consol near him, destroying it. And though Cain's initial objective was thwarted, he knew the battle wasn't finished.

His form did not remain still and it rose, a blackened and twisted figure, from the floor to calmly remark, "I am not as strong as I used to be."

"I will kill you." Abel hissed, advancing.

"At what cost, Brother? What toll have you already paid?"

The silver-haired Crusnik flinched despite himself as Sakura's face flashed across his mind. "What have you done to her?"

"You will find out soon, Brother. Very, very soon." He smirked, his teeth a white slash across black.

Abel stepped forward, intent on killing him, when a sharp pain lanced up his back. He cried out as it took him and pushed him to the limit of consciousness and Cain's warped face was the last thing he saw before oblivion claimed him.

* * *

"Father Nightroad, respond."

He groaned, unsure he wanted to be conscious with the burning pain in the back of his head.

"Father Nightroad…"

"I'm alright, Tres." He sighed as he sat up, rubbing the wound. His fingers came away bloody, but he could feel it was already on the mend. "What happened?"

"The Orden retreated." He told him. "Sister Sakura has also been safely recovered."

"What?" He cried, "And she's alright?"

"The Professor is examining her."

* * *

Abel ran into the room, pushing past Caterina and Esther; his eyes centered on the infirmary, visible through a large pane of glass, and on Sakura. But their eyes met for only a moment before she dropped her gaze.

The Professor said something to her, looked over his shoulder, shook his head gently, and wrapped his arm around her as he pulled her into a more private room.

Behind him, Caterina told him, "Abel…she's going to need space. I want to see you in my office in an hour, alright?"

He nodded, reluctantly turning away.

* * *

The Professor walked into Caterina's temporary office, balancing a stack of files in one hand and his cane and pipe in the other. He took a seat across from her, pushing the manila folders at her as Abel walked in behind him.

"What is the status on her physical?" The Cardinal asked as she poured tea for her male counterparts.

"She's a bit banged up, but not too worse the wear." He said.

Caterina's eyes flickered over the rim of her cup; it was unlike the Albion native to be so evasive in his answers. There were times where she had, unthinkingly, asked a rhetorical question that had ended in a fifteen minute explanation from him. But she knew better than to press him openly if he was being so deliberate about not speaking on the matter.

"Have the other results come in?" She asked.

"I just finished analyzing her blood and tissues samples." He began, flipping open the first folder and glancing over the results, "The news, however, is far from comforting: the concentration of Crusnik in her blood is almost zero. The overall count is hovering just below three hundred."

"So Cain did try to drain her…" Abel trailed off, his eyes hitting the floor.

"Thankfully, he didn't succeed. She's lost quite a bit of blood and likely wouldn't be with us now if it weren't for the remaining Crusnik in her body."

"And her prognosis?" The crimson-clad female responded.

"Physically, quite good. She needs some rest and a transfusion, but that can be done overnight while she sleeps."

"I'm willing to donate." Abel offered.

"And that would be the best solution if it weren't for that fact that your body is still recovering from a massive shock. It's best that you rest, as well." He responded.

"And…has she said anything?" The silver-haired man replied.

The Professor shook his head, "She's been very quiet. She might very well be in shock, but I thought it best not to ask too much of her mind or body tonight. Father Tres and Father Havel were amiable to helping me continue in the morning."

"I'd be willing to assist, as well." Abel interjected.

"And I would allow you, Abel, if I didn't need you elsewhere tomorrow." Caterina broke in, "The envoys from the Empire are arriving and it's of the utmost importance that they reach us without Inquisition detection. You are the only one I trust to take care of this matter."

The silver-haired priest was obviously reluctant, but he couldn't refuse her request and his head bobbed a moment later in acknowledgement.

"Thank you, Abel. Now, Father Tres is waiting to brief you in the annex."

The tale male rose smoothly and walked from the room without another word. But they waited until his footsteps had faded entirely before they resumed speaking.

Her eyes darted up, silent question marks, and she waited as he sighed and composed his thoughts.

"Her physical examination yielded disturbing results." He began, "She was sexually assaulted and had her blood all but drained at least twice. There are track marks along her arms and trace amounts of several very powerful sedatives in her system."

"As she said another about Father Nightroad?"

"No, though she's been quite clear that she doesn't want to speak to him."

"And as she elaborated on the reason?"

"I didn't press her, Caterina. Surely you understand."

She nodded, "Of course I do."

"I can infer as to her hesitancy. Dietrich said something about 'sealing the fates'. I believe it is safe to assume that her blood was used to resurrect the Enemy of the World. Father Nightroad himself expressed that concern to me some time ago, shortly after what we had hoped would be our last clash with the Contra Mundi. I know that Abel is aware of that, but…I can't say what else he knows. I think she's worried about what his reaction might be."

"She can't possibly blame herself for what happened."

"No one said she was in a rational state of mind."

"Can anything be done?"

"We'll monitor her, ensure her wounds are treated and that she's rested. As for the psychological damage, that will take far more time and effort."

"The Empiric envoys are going to wish to speak to her."

"I can't guarantee she'll be cleared to proceed with such questioning."

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it, then." Caterina said. "Thank you, Professor, for your time."

"It's my pleasure, Lady Sforza." He responded as he rose from his chair.

* * *

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and for a horrible moment, she thought she might find herself back on the bed of blood-stained velvet. But to her relief it was the infirmary, with its sterile smell and the background beep of monitoring equipment.

She turned over in her bed, glancing at a figure sitting beside her. She had mixed feelings for a moment; she couldn't see his face, and she wasn't sure if she was relieved that he couldn't see the tears gather in her eyes or upset that she couldn't see comfort in his blue eyes…But then he spoke and she realized it wasn't Abel…

"Are you alright, Sister?" Vaclav asked, lowering the book he had been reading.

"Yeah." She lied, "Is…Father Nightroad alright?"

It hurt just to think about his name, let alone say it…

"He's recovering uneventfully. I'd be happy to get him, if you'd like."

"No!" She cried, sitting up so fast that she felt the IV needle in her arm rip free.

"I'm sorry…I just…I mean…let him…let him rest." She stammered.

Vaclav just nodded as he stood up and walked around the bedside. His gloved hand came down on the tear in her hand and he held her for a moment before reaching for a roll of gauze and wrapping the wound.

He selected a bottle of alcohol from the shelf beside her bed and dampened a cotton swab with the solution before running it over her arm. Then, wordlessly, he slipped the needle into a different vein and secured it with a swath of tape.

"You should rest, Sister." He said, "I'll watch over you."

She nodded, fighting back tears as she slid back against the pillow. He could protect her from the world, but not from her own mind…

TBC


	12. Blood in the Water

_**Chapter Twelve: Blood in the Water**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Trinity Blood!**_

"You should eat something, Sister." Vaclav said as he eyed her untouched tray.

"Really, I'm not hungry." She replied with as much of a smile as she could muster. In fact, quite the opposite was true. But something about the smell and appearance of the soup in front of her made her stomach churn.

"A cup of tea, perhaps?" He offered.

"No, thank you, Father." She said with a gentle shake of her head.

He opened his mouth to say something further when the Professor stepped in behind him, "I apologize for the interruption, but envoys from the Empire are here. They were wondering if you were up to speaking with them."

She just nodded, afraid that if she said something she would betray her true feelings.

He nodded back, turning and opening the door to let Astha and Ion into the room. They both shot her small smiles before their faces smoothed into business like masks.

"Agent Haruno," Astha said in formal greeting, "We were hoping you might be able to elaborate on the situation that has unfolded over the last eighty hours."

Sakura took a deep breath, composed herself, and began to rattle off the story. But about half way through, Astha, taking copious notes, flipped a page and caught her thumb on the edge of a sheet; a thin line of blood appeared on the tip of her finger.

The Methuselah noble didn't even notice the small rip in the skin, but Sakura's eyes fixed on it. The smell of her blood danced around the pink-haired female and she suddenly realized what she had been hungry for…

"Sakura?" Ion asked, her silence beginning to unnerve him as much as the sudden pitch in her breathing.

The heart monitor beside her began to beep wildly, neon green lines darting up in jagged peaks and shallow valleys. The beats shortened to a fever pitch as the oxygen rate of her blood crested.

"Sister?" Vaclav asked, his hand on her shoulder.

He could feel a cold sweat breaking on her skin even through his glove…

She suddenly jerked to life, yelling, "I can't be in this room!"

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and pushed roughly between the two Methuselah. She rushed past the Professor, who cried out in alarm. She ran between the nurses, desperate to put some distance between herself and the Methuselahs warm, hot, ready blood…

She shook her head, forcing herself to think of nothing but the movement of her feet and legs, the slap of flesh against the marble tile…

She turned around the corner and her eyes focused on Neji; he was speaking to Petro and apparently handing in a report, but her frantic thoughts were light years around.

'There are Bacilli in his blood…they power his Byakugan…his speed…his ability to pressurize chakra from all his tenketsu…'

Neji looked over at her and looked like he might say something, but by then she was racing down the opposite side of the wall. She ran down the hall, turning another bend with the hope that she might escape the smell that seemed to cling to her, that threatened to override her ability to control herself…

She slammed into Tres, gripping his robes instinctively and pulling herself up to bury her face against his jacket.

"Sister Sakura, your biological stress hormones indicate you are in a state of distress." He stated automatically.

But Sakura wasn't focused on his words. Her hand slid down his arm to his, where his Jericho was clasped and pulled his arm up. She stepped back, bringing the barrel of his weapon to her chest and pleading, "Tres, please, just shoot me."

"Negative. You are written into my code as an ally; friendly fire is counterproductive to future operations."

"Father Iqus, what in Heaven's name are you doing?" Kate shrieked as she appeared next to them.

"I believe," Tres responded, "Sister Sakura is experiencing a break with reality."

"Far from it, Kate," Sakura replied resolutely, "I'm thinking quite clearly, but I'm not sure I will be for much longer."

"Let's please just calm down." Kate pleaded, her voice high with concern.

"Kate, if one of you doesn't stop me, I won't be able to stop myself." The pink-haired woman responded, her chest heaving.

Caterina suddenly bolted down the hall in a streak of crimson and shouted, "Tres, stand down this instant!"

The android lowered his arm and took a step back.

"Sister, I must insist that you return with us for observation." Caterina said breathlessly.

"I'm sorry, Lady Caterina, I can't…" Sakura replied, tears running down her face.

"I don't want to have to restrain you, Sister, but I will, if necessary." The Cardinal responded.

"And it won't help…" Sakura trailed off as she darted down the opposite hall.

Caterina opened her mouth to order her operatives to follow when the Professor's voice cut the tension-filled air.

"Stop, Caterina!"

He stopped just short of colliding with her and shoved a radio into her hands. Abel's frantic voice crackled over the speaker, "Don't try to stop her!"

"Abel, what one earth is going one?" The blonde demanded.

"The Crusnik in her body are attempting to regenerate, but they can't without the blood of a Methuselah. Survival instinct is going to start overriding her judgment; she has the potential to be incredibly dangerous right now. If she's cornered, she might snap and if she fuses at this point, the Crusnik in her blood will completely take over. She won't stop killing until her need for blood has been met."

"What _should _we do?" The Cardinal asked.

"Wait for me." He replied.

* * *

Sakura took a kind of bitter comfort in the cold steel around her; the metallic odor hanging in the air was far from the alluring perfume of blood. There was nothing drawing about it, and it left her alone with the burning in her body and the pain in her chest and the thoughts of what she might do if Astha or Ion got close enough for her to reach out and rip open…

"NO!" She yelled, dropping to her knees and cradling her head between her hands.

'I'll kill myself before I hurt them.' She thought as she picked herself up and walked through the observation deck hall on the _Iron Maiden II_.

The platform hung several hundred feet in the air, the ground stretching out below her. The airship was docked on a small ledge that added another hundred or so feet between her and the buildings beneath her.

"Sakura!"

Her head snapped down, to a small figure below her.

"Abel…" She trailed off, tears running down her face.

"It's going to be okay!" He shouted up to her.

"But it's not going to be…" She replied, taking another step towards the edge.

"Sakura, you can take that step, but I'm going to be there to catch you. And I'm always going to be there to catch you." He told her, his blue eyes glittering in the fading sunlight.

"I don't want to be caught this time, Abel." She said.

He just smiled up at her, "I know. But I'm here to look out for you when you can't look out for yourself."

"Abel…I think…it might have been better if I was never born…"

"Judas said the same thing; but his betrayal was the only way the blood-price for forgiveness could be paid!" He called back up. "God created you for something, Sakura…don't throw that away."

"I'm sorry, Abel." She said as she took another step; the wind rushed past her, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the impact that she prayed would end it all.

She heard his voice over the howl of the wind, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. And suddenly she was in his arms and he was on the ground, holding her in his arms and shielding her with the dome of his wings.

"I can't let you do that." He said simply, his face near hers, his eyes glowing with an odd comfort.

She threw her arms around him, burying her face against his neck and letting him hold her.

"You can have my blood." He whispered, knowing that he could repopulate her Crusnik colonies.

"Abel…I'm so sorry for everything." She whispered.

"Shhh…" He replied, his voice harsh in his form, "You don't have to apologize; you haven't done anything wrong."

He lifted his hand and ran one long nail across the side of his neck. Blood welled up from the cut and dripped down his collarbone.

She felt tears of relief run down her face as she lifted her head and pressed her lips to the wound. Blood rushed down her throat and soaked the front of her thin gown. Her hands twined in his jacket as she pulled herself up against his chest.

"I'm here for you." He whispered.

TBC


	13. Revelation and Revenge

_**Chapter Thirteen: Revelation and Revenge**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Trinity Blood!**_

Caterina couldn't help but let her ruby-red lips turn up as Abel appeared in the hall; his jacket was torn and a large red stain colored one side. His hair hung in a loose curtain around his face and was dyed a vibrant red next to his neck. But his lips were pulled back in a smile and his arm was wrapped around her other operative.

She was leaning close to his chest, smiling despite the fresh red blooms on her thin hospital gown. Her lips were slick with blood and more had run in a rivet down her throat, but she looked…relieved…like the burden of the world had just been lifted from her.

"Abel…Sakura…" She trailed off.

"It's alright now, Caterina." He smiled, pressing his cheek against his pink-haired lover's.

She nodded, "So it seems. Go clean up."

* * *

"How do you feel?" Abel asked, his bangs brushing against her face as he leaned over her.

"I'm fine. What about you?" She asked, reaching up to stroke his cheek, "I took so much blood…"

"Nothing that isn't readily replaceable." He assured her.

"Abel…" Tears welled up in her eyes.

He bent forward, pressing his lips lightly against hers. It was a kiss that lacked passion of any kind, but there was comfort in the fact that he expected nothing in her response. She didn't have to pretend…

"Sleep." He whispered, brushing tears away with his thumb.

* * *

"My Lord…are you sure it is wise to launch a counteroffensive so soon after you return?" Dietrich asked, forcing his voice to remain steady.

The charred corpse of a man responded, "They are only just beginning to feel real fear. They are uneasy…But soon they will know true terror. We must simply strike while the iron is hot."

"Yes, My Lord." The young man beside him bowed and backed out of the room.

* * *

"Sister…" The faint voice accompanied an even fainter rap on her door and Caterina knew immediately who it was.

"Come in, Alec." She responded, putting her book of poetry aside.

The door to her temporary quarters opened and the young man stepped in; without the white and gold garb of the Pope, which had been removed hours earlier so he could rest, he looked much less like the ruler of the second most powerful political force in the world and voice of God on Earth and much more like a teenage boy.

"Do you think…I could sit with you for a little while?" He asked timidly.

"Of course." She replied, patting the open space next to her on the bed.

He crept over to her, sliding across the down cover on the bed and laying his head on her shoulder.

"I know it's been a long day." She said gently as she smoothed his hair; she able to let down her formal manner without the eyes of the Papal Counsel on them.

He nodded, "I've heard…people talking…Sister."

"About?" She asked.

"Sister Sakura…" He trailed off, "They keep saying she's dangerous…but I don't believe them…"

"And you shouldn't, Alec." She replied, "She's going through a very difficult portion of her life and she needs our love and support right now."

"Sister…she tries really hard, right?"

Caterina nodded, wondering what he was getting at.

"So…why do they talk about her like that?"

"People can be cruel," Caterina sighed.

"But why? God asks us to love each other."

"Yes, but He also gave us freewill, Alec. He loves us enough to let us make our own mistakes and not hold them against us." She explained.

He obviously wanted to say something, but was cut short by a sudden rumble from his stomach. His face flushed and his eyes darted to the floor.

Caterina smile, "Did you neglect dinner?"

"It was a busy day." He offered timidly.

"Well, it's not very late. Let's go get something to eat." She replied as she stood up and pulled a robe over her shoulders.

"Alright." He smiled softly, following her out of the room and down the hall.

It was getting to be around ten, and most of the guards had stopped patrolling the inner halls of the palace in favor of perimeter control. And most of the rooms were empty so they were free to simply wander into the kitchen.

She stepped into the tiled room and selected some fruit and began to cut it into slices, watching her fingertips; she was hardly a cook and, in fact, was so pampered by her personal assistants that she scarcely knew how to hold a knife. Of course, most of the time, there were more pressing issues-such as the potential end of the world-than what she was going to have for dinner.

Shaking her head in thought, the blonde Cardinal finished the plate and passed it to her brother. He accepted it with a gracious 'thank you' and sat down at the small table off the side. She took a seat across from him and sipped some of Kate's tea. She had, of course, already had her dinner.

"Eat and then you can get some rest, Alec." She commented.

He smiled back at her and was cut short in his response by a choked-off shout; blood sprayed in the hallway and into the kitchen.

* * *

Sakura sat up in bed; she could feel something hanging in the air…it was tainted with the smell of old decay…stale…

An ax flashed silver in her peripherals. Instinctively, she leapt from the bed; hitting the floor, she curled and somersaulted to a stop. But as she tried to rise another leapt at her from the hallway.

Gunfire erupted in the small space and the corpse slammed into her with enough impetus to throw her from her feet; blood soaked through her clothing and for a moment she was trapped by its weight. She heard movement behind the limp body and tensed, ready for the flash of pain as she was struck…

The body shifted and rolled off of her, revealing, of all people, Tres.

"Father!" She blurted.

"Sister, are you unharmed?" He asked mechanically as he yanked her to her feet.

"I'm fine." She told him as she reached for her percussion revolver. She pulled the barrel away, saw she had a full load, and nodded to him.

"Go and locate Lady Sforza and His Holiness. I will cover you." Tres offered.

"You've got it." Sakura responded as she raced out of the room.

* * *

Caterina held him close, trying desperately to control her own breathing; she had managed to pull him up from his chair, press her hand over his mouth, and duck into a shadow just a Death Hunter scurried down the hall. But she could hear more unnaturally fast footsteps down the hall and hear the wet squelch of flesh being crushed.

Alec sobbed harder against her and she drew herself in, trying to stifle the sound even though her own gasping breaths threatened to betray them. A long shadow fell across the meager rectangle of light that flooded the kitchen from the hall and her eyes flickered to the hulking figure and the ax in its hand…

Caterina shoved hard against the door her back was to and pulled her younger brother out into the hall. The carpet was wet with blood, the walls painted crimson, and bodies were everywhere. But she hardly had time to think about it as she took Alessandro's hand and ran.

At the edges of her periphery, she saw black shadows moving and silver glints springing from the edges of their blades as they pursued. But she didn't let herself think about how close they were…how close they were bearing down…

She tore out of the hall and into a ballroom…and was stopped dead in her tracks by an all too familiar face.

"You!" She hissed, unable to quell the knee-jerk reaction.

"It's lovely to see you again, Cardinal Sforza." Dietrich commented as he casually adjusted the jacket cuff around his wrist, "I _do _apologize for disturbing you after such a long week."

"Hold your foul tongue." Caterina snapped back, torn between pushing Alec behind her and towards the Death Hunters and in front of her before the Orden's sadist.

"Come, Lady Milan. I can make this quite…_pleasurable _for you." He sneered.

The Duchess felt an icy chill run down her spine and felt her brother's grasp on her hand tighten as he flinched back.

"Never." She responded, her eyes hard.

"Regrettably, you then leave me no choice." Dietrich shrugged as his Hunters moved in for the kill.

Caterina shoved her brother to the floor and draped herself around him, knowing she couldn't save him as their shadows fell over her.

Gunfire erupted around them, showering them in cold blood; bodies hit the floor around them with dull _thuds_. The Cardinal's steel-colored eyes drifted behind her, where Sakura stood; a steady stream of wipe smoke issued from the barrel of her weapon and her eyes were hard.

"Good evening, Sister." Dietrich remarked almost pleasantly.

"Leave before I decide that I'm willing to kill you!" She cried, lifting her gun again.

"Oh, my." He smirked, "I see someone is a bit hostile. But, tell me, _Sakura_, do you believe you could hit me?"

Caterina was tempted to tell him that her operative's aim was ranked above S but then she noticed something…Sakura's hands were trembling…_badly_…

"Mein Herr chose you for your skill. Please, do give us a demonstration." He probed. "Or can you?"

The pink-haired woman in question swallowed hard once, her eyes drifting across the room; there were far more Death Hunters than she had rounds for, and with no close quarters weapon at hand, she knew what she had to do…

"Nanomac…chine. Crusnik 05. P…power out…put: for…forty percent. Activate!" She stammered.

Nothing happened…there wasn't even a flash of pain to alert her that the Crusnik in her body were unwilling to comply…an absolute void where there should have been white hot intensity of some kind…

Dietrich's lips pulled up even further as he watched the shock pass through her eyes. Her eyes were locked with his and, before she could even register the movement at her right, one of his puppets had lunged and caught her around the throat. Her back slammed into the nearby wall, her gun clattering across the floor.

"I'll save you for last." The topaz-eyed youth commented off-handedly, "I want you to see what I'm going to do to them."

His eyes fell on Caterina and she reactively pulled Alessandro to her chest and whispered, "Close your eyes, Alec."

"I'm scared." He told her.

"I know." She rested her head against his so he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes as she thought, 'I am, too…'

"Don't touch them!" Sakura cried as an ax was hefted over them.

She wasn't quite sure what happened next because it happened so fast: the head of the creature pinning her suddenly spun a full circle and dropped from its shoulders, spraying blood high into the air. As she fell to the floor, a blinding white light filled the air and shots rang through the atrium. She could only faintly hear Caterina's reactive scream and the Pope's shocked cry over the noise.

And as the air cleared, she suddenly realized what had happened...

Vaclav stood over the corpse of her captor, his hands drenched with its blood; from the opposite entrance of the room, she could see the faint glow of Tres' eyes, and to the left, Abel stood, his scythe hefted and his eyes burning. Wrapped around Caterina and the young Pope was Astha, her staff swung defensively in front of them as Ion guarded her back. Even the Professor and Leon were present in the background, their firearms raised and clearly discharged.

"I see the entire group is here." Dietrich said vaguely, eyeing the corpses of his fallen soldiers before pointedly turning his gaze to Sakura. "But it seems only so many of you are reliable."

Her head sank low and she bit down hard on her lip; she had failed Caterina and another scant few seconds would have spelled doom for the world itself…

"Don't listen to him, Sister." The Professor stated as he took a step forward, his gun hefted.

"She doesn't have to _hear_ it, Professor." A vaguely foreign voice cut in as a silver-haired man appeared from the shadows, "She _knows_ it."

"Kabuto Yakushi and Dietrich von Lohengrin, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit you are hereby under arrest." Vaclav stated, "Please, do not struggle."

Kabuto tossed his head back and laughed, "You can't stop us."

"Try us!" Astha hissed, her Gae Bolg roaring to life as she pushed herself between the Caterina and Alessandro and the threat in front of them.

Dietrich smirked and said, "Red Baroness."

Before anyone could discern why he was calling for someone who didn't seem to be present, a massive shock rocked the palace; the entire ceiling caved in on one side, blocking the AX from their target.

"Rewriting program: Search and Destroy mode activated." Tres rattled off automatically.

"No, Father Iqus! We won't catch them…this fight is over." Caterina began, "But this war is not over. We have survived to see another fight; that's all we can ask."

"Orden scum…" Astha trailed as she slung the staff onto her belt.

Abel, his hair spilling back over his shoulders, turned his wintry blue eyes to his lover, who had yet to move from her position on the floor. He saw her hands were curled tightly at her sides and he saw her lip was white from the pressure of her teeth.

He walked over slowly, putting his hand on her shoulder and waiting for her to look up before asking, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, hoping he believed her lie. She said nothing as she rose from the floor and walked out of the room.

TBC


	14. The Fall of Shadows, Cherry Blossom

_**Chapter Fourteen: The Fall of Shadows, Cherry Blossom**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Trinity Blood or any associated items, characters, etc. The plot alone is the original work of my very, very bored mind. As a college student, I can't afford to have a life and therefore live in FFN. **_

"Sakura Haruno, you stand tried of treason, murder in the first degree, and conspiracy. A jury of your peers has found you guilty _ex concessis_ of all three."

Her world seemed to crash down around her; she saw Abel lunge forward, his mouth open in a shout of anger, watched Caterina order him to sit down even as Tres held him back, though she heard nothing but the steady thrum of her own pulse. She saw Neji's face twist up in a smile...

A world away, she tried to remember how things had gone so horribly wrong...a normal day that suddenly spiraled into this week of hell. It had started simply enough...

The day after the Orden's attack on the Vatican, she had been called into a briefing with the Professor.

"It seems our foes are getting stronger." Kate had sighed softly as the images projected onto the screen faded away.

"Not stronger," Abel said simply, "Just braver. If this attack had been meant to kill, they would have succeeded."

"I concur. This attack was a psychological one, aimed at only one purpose. They intended to shake our beliefs that we were safe here in Rome, and, consequently, to cause the public and private scrutiny of the Vatican powers." The Professor said, biting on the end of his pipe.

"There is no doubt that this has shaken both the faith of civilians and of foreign political powers." Caterina began, "However, this situation is hardly beyond salvaging; Tres and the Professor have put together a compelling statement regarding the attack that Cardinal Antonio will be releasing to the public this afternoon."

"That, however, will not solve our internal scrutiny problems." The Professor said.

"I will handle those to the best of my ability," Caterina reassured them, "This is not the first time the odds have been stacked against us and it certainly will not be the last. Go, now, and rest. This war is just beginning."

She did, leaving the room with a feeling she couldn't quite understand. For a while after, she wondered the dark gardens looking for an answer to a question she didn't have. And so she stared into the heart of the cosmos before it was covered by the clouds rolling in from the east.

She wasn't sure when it started to rain, only that she was grateful because they hid the tears rolling down her pale face. Try as she might, she couldn't feel the pulse of the nanomachines in her body, and couldn't seem to rally them.

She bit down hard on her lip as a sudden, fierce possibility washed over her.

"I refuse..." She whispered, her voice suddenly rising to a scream, "I refuse!"

She took a deep, hard breath, and softly repeated those words: "Nanomachine Krusnik 05. Power output: forty percent. Activate!"

There was nothing. No pain, no light, no strength or weakness.

Absolute oblivion.

"Nanomachine Krusnik 05! Power output: forty percent. Activate!"

She screamed the command again, falling to her knees to pound the moist earth with her fists again and again and again until finally her scream was nothing but a whisper of defeat.

"Activate...Please..."

She felt herself crumple, a sob rising in her throat, "What's wrong with me?"

Suddenly, a shadow fell across her, a hot weight settling just over her.

"Abel?"

His hand found hers in the mud, his fingers twining with hers, "There is _nothing_ wrong with you."

"I couldn't do it, Abel. I couldn't save them..." She sobbed, "I failed all of them...Even Caterina and the Pope..."

"We are a team so that when one of us falls, the others can pick them back up."

She threw him off with a violent heave, crawling back frantically, panic welling up in her eyes, "I will _never _be _that _person again!"

He paused, and then gently took her hand, "And you never will be."

He pulled her close against the sleeting sheets of icy rain and she told him, "I don't know, anymore, Abel."

"There will come a time to ask those questions and get those answers." He told her.

"I'm afraid of what we'll find..."

"The light shines all the brighter for the shadows. There is so much beauty in this world. Let me show you."

She felt him transform beneath her, his wings breaking the sheets of rain as he lifted her high into the sky. They drifted over the black storm clouds, through nets of white and blue lightning and above the clap of the thunder. They flew through misty layers of white-blue clouds and snowflakes that clung to the edges of his wings until finally they were hovering in the velvet night sky. Above them, the moon shone hazy silver across a sky spattering with more colors than she had names for.

"Abel..." She reached up, giddy with emotion and the freedom of flight, and cupped his cheek to kiss him.

She felt the hot flicker of his tongue against hers and the rise of his chest, the beat of his heart. She crashed harder into him, clinging to him as though he held her life, and felt herself growing hotter against the cold night air.

Slowly, they drifted back to the ground, tongues locked and fighting. And all at once she felt the ground against her feet and his silver hair falling against her.

The hallways were quiet, and they drifted down them in a sweet, slow embrace until she felt the edge of her bed against her knees. She submitted to his weight and her need and fell back against the down coverlet.

She felt him starting to draw back and knotted her hands in his jacket, "Don't go."

"Sakura..." He trailed off, and she could see the indecision in his eyes.

"Please, Abel."

"Alright," He said simply, "If you are sure."

She responded by capturing his mouth in hers. His hands drifted along her body, slipping under the snug shirt that hugged her chest to tease her breasts. She arched against the heat of his touch and the sudden ache low in her belly.

She let her hands slide down his hips and to the growing bulge between his legs and heard and felt his moan through their kiss.

He pulled back, his slender hands undoing the zipper on her shirt in one smooth pull and slowly peeling back the edges to reveal her.

She flinched, fear flickering across her eyes, and moved to stop when she found his hand and whispered, "I love you, Abel. Please, don't stop..." She wanted him to soothe away Cain's touch, to replace it with something, _anything_ else.

He nodded, burying his head against her neck and letting his lips find the tender skin across her collarbone. His hands slid down to the waist band of her black pants and she tilted her hips up in submission as he eased them away.

Her hands found his shirt and she unbuttoned it and pushed it away to let her hands wonder his body. In the candle light, he almost glowed with the pale-white of his skin and the silver of his hair. He looked like the angel he was, she thought to herself as she let her fingertips dance across his growing erection.

Very carefully, she pulled his pants down as he undid the simple clasp of her bra. For a long moment, she lay naked and vulnerable below him before he smoothed her pink hair away from her eyes.

"I will be gentle." He promised as his hand slid down her belly and found a tiny pearl of flesh between her legs.

The sudden flash of pleasure wrung a moan from her throat and a bead of moisture from her core.

He massaged her gently, responding to the rhythm and pulse of her body as she writhed beneath him and, judging her ready, slid one slender finger deep into her. In agonizingly slow circles, he teased the bundle of nerves deep within her until he felt her edging closer to climax.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"Yes." She reached up and pulled him down close into a passionate kiss in the same moment he slipped deep into her.

The sensation rocked her, and she responsively pushed against him, taking more of him into her.

He waited for a moment before thrusting shallowly into her, and, then, more deeply and powerfully.

She cried out his name, breaking the lock of their lips as she knotted her hands in the coverlet.

"No matter what happens," He told her, his voice hoarse with effort, "It will be okay."

She wrapped her legs around him, trying to pull him closer still, and nodded against the promise in his voice and his words and let herself go.

Again and again and again she felt the push of his body against and inside her. Every nerve was a line of white-hot need that shouted against the warmth of his flesh and the expertise of his body.

They languished in that tangle until finally one thrust pushed her over the edge with a shout. She felt herself tighten around him, felt her orgasm shudder even more powerfully and heard the moan rising from his throat as the vibration of her climax shook him.

She arched up, trying to prolong the sensation and felt him suddenly go rigid above her as her orgasm drove his.

He fell back, catching himself on his elbows and panting hard.

In a moment of quiet tenderness after the storm of need, she reached up and twined her fingers in his silver hair and told him, "I love you, Abel."

"And I love you." He whispered back as his arms came around her to pull her close and let sleep claim her.

TBC


	15. The Beauty and the Brain

_**Chapter Fifteen: The Fall of Shadows: The Beauty and the Brain**_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto or Trinity Blood and make absolutely no profit off my wild musings! **_

The Professor's words shocked her, but she was careful not to let it show on her face. Not even to him...

"What do you mean, Professor?" Caterina asked pointedly.

"I mean that, physically, there is nothing wrong with her. The number of Crusnik in her blood and tissues is actually higher than it has been previously. I believe that her problem lies in her mind."

"William," Caterina' voice was tense, "What_ exactly _did you find in your examination?"

He took a deep breath to ground himself to the moment, "We found traces of Crusnik in her vagina. We ran a sample of them to extract the DNA clinging to them and found that it did not match hers. In fact, it was male."

For a long moment, Caterina hoped, _prayed,_ that she and Abel had finally taken that step. That wish, though, was quickly erased.

"The DNA did not match Abel's but we did determine that it was a genetic relative of his by tracing the lineage of the Crusnik."

He opened his mouth to say something further but Caterina halted him with the upturn of her palm. He needed to say no more.

"All I want to know now is what kind of damage we are dealing with. Politically and otherwise."

"At this point, not even Albion knows of the Orden's revival. I believe the Empress of the New Human Empire has her suspicions, but no hard proof. The implications for our team are significant, however. Honestly, I don't think Abel has taken the time to process what has happened. We are effectively down at least one member, and maybe two, if Abel can't rally himself."

"What time frame for recovery are we looking at?"

"For our operatives? Impossible to say. But if we can quell the dissemination of this information, we could hypothetically contain the panic before it ever begins."

"What are the odds of us being able to accomplish that?" She asked.

"Slim." He replied honestly, "The Orden has been known to put on productions for the sheer fear factor of it. I wouldn't put it past them to do just that to incite panic. Or war."

"I want this stopped, William. Do whatever you can at whatever cost." Her eyes shone with guilt and resolve.

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	16. Judgment

_**Chapter Sixteen: The Fall of Shadows: Judgment **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Trinity Blood or Naruto! What I do, I do for fun and not profit! **_

It was early in the morning that she noticed the whispers and the sideways glances around her. She was unnerved, even with the knowledge of the coming days that she had, and felt a cold fist settle deep into her stomach.

The fear, however, didn't hit her until she saw the sea of clergy and assistants part under the invisible, but undeniable will, of the Inquisition as they marched through the marble halls. One of them, a tall man she didn't recognize, stepped in front of her and glared down at her with the pure disgust before demanding, "Are you agent Sakura Haruno?"

"Yes." She replied, her voice as steady as she could keep it.

His hands swept up under her wrists, jerking her bodily from the ground. Her breath caught in her throat as a small army of them swarmed in to cuff her, ankle to ankle, wrist to wrist, and connect the shackles with a long chain that ran between them.

Before she realized what was happening, she was pinned beneath the bulk of several people, crushing her so hard against the tile she could scarcely breath.

"You are hereby charged with treason, murder and conspiracy."

She opened her mouth to speak only to have one of them brutally backhand her.

Somewhere in the background against the buzzing in her ears, she heard William's voice as he fought through the crowd, demanding that the Inquisition release her at once.

"Stand aside, _priest_." The large man growled, shoving William away. "This bitch is ours."

"_She _is a well-respected member of Vatican Special Forces that you are brutalizing." The Professor responded, gesturing towards Sakura.

"Not anymore." Her attacker smirked as he motioned for her to be hauled away.

"We'll be coming for her." William whispered pointedly, casting a meaningful glance at her as she was dragged past him.

* * *

She was thrown into the dungeons of the Inquisition, and found them to be more horrifying than she ever could have imagined.

As they escorted her through the dark damp, punctuated only by small torches lining the hall and the screams of tortured prisoners as their flesh was torn, she realized what was going to happen to her.

They seemed suddenly to slow their pace, as though they wanted ample time for the fear to set in. The long corridor seemed to lengthen and dim, her footsteps growing fainter on the slimy cobblestones until, with sudden speed, they were standing before a room fitted with a steel cage door and furnished with nothing but a single rough wooden chair, fitted with leather restraints and chains.

She must have hesitated a moment too long, because she suddenly found herself laid out on the floor, her vision red and her ears ringing.

She was dragged up by her hair, shoved into the seat face first, and then wrenched around. It was only when her eyes cleared that she realized they were tying her down.

The large man, who she now knew was called Hanes, leaned in suddenly, his breath reeking of something too sweet, and smirked. His hand came up, almost tenderly, to brush aside a drop of blood threatening to spill from the corner of her mouth.

"We're going to make you sing."

She set her mouth in a grim line and stared back into the abyssal black of his eyes and said nothing.

"I love when they give me that look," He mused darkly, "The resilience and the pride. I'm going to love watching her break bit by bit."

He turned his head over his shoulder, motioning for someone who she hadn't noticed waiting in the shadows, to step forward.

Her breath stuck in her throat, though her eyes betrayed her disbelief.

"Haruno." Neji nodded as he pulled on a pair of gloves and inspected a tray as an attendant rolled it to his side.

"Neji..." She breathed the word, feeling bile rising in her throat.

He glanced at her, and then ordered the other men out of the room.

He walked over to her amid the bustle of the leaving escort group and very deliberately checked the restraints. And then he picked up a delicate silver instrument with fine points and serrated edges and very slowly clamped it down onto her fingernail.

He hesitated for only a second before he began to pull.

* * *

She wasn't sure how long she was down in the dungeons. Constant darkness and the pain-induced haze of her mind made it impossible to tell how many hours, or days, she had lingered there. She must have passed out or dozed off at one point, because she remembered being startled awake by a sudden beam of light.

Whoever it was—she had never seen them before—said nothing to her as the restraints were loosened and she was hauled to her feet.

She was dragged back along the endless corridors before before she was unceremoniously stripped down and buttoned into a long-sleeved red shirt. A long black skirt was hauled up over her waist and her hair pulled back for her. Some poorly fitted shoes were shoved onto her feet before she was again shackled and made to walk down the marble halls to the courtroom.

She realized vaguely as she was loaded onto the dock that the proceedings had been going on for hours, if not more, and she was being presented only for the reading.

Somewhere in the crowd, she found Abel's face. Her eyes stayed on him until he rose from his seat, a wordless scream coming from his mouth, and she suddenly heard the judge's words: "Sakura Haruno, you stand tried of treason, murder in the first degree, and conspiracy. A jury of your peers has found you guilty _ex concessis_ of all three."

He lunged forward, even as Caterina ordered him back and Tres rose to stop him.

The world was a hiss of rushing air and the own sickening crash of her stomach. And then sound and feeling returned as Petro suddenly stood from the stands and announced loudly, "The Inquisition hereby requests she be remanded into our custody and jurisdiction. We believe she can be rebuilt in mind and faith and used to great benefit."

The room fell deathly quiet, a kind of incredulous awe claiming the crowd.

Caterina's eyes shone like blades, "I object."

"The alternative is execution."

"Caterina, you musn't-" Abel began frantically.

"Very well," The blonde Cardinal said simply, "I will agree to the proposed terms under one condition: That with sufficient evidence of innocence she be reinstated to the Special Affairs Division under my supervision. I formally request ninety days to prepare an appropriate case."

"Agreed." The judge said, banging his gavel once before dismissing the court.

Petro nodded once to the presiding clergymen before ordering his men to collect their newest operative.

Her eyes wondered down at Abel, tears pooling in her lashes. He stood there, his lips white, with a look on his face she couldn't quite read. And then, she was pulled away by a gentle tide of hands.

* * *

Petro stood tall and proud in front of her, looking down on the small figure her body carved as she kneeled on the floor.

"Firstly, I do not trust you, and as such you will be under constant supervision. Secondly, you will submit to the training of the Inquisition and you will commit yourself to it. Failure to do so will result in punishment, as severe and as often as necessary."

She could do nothing but glare back at him in silent defiance.

He knelt down beside her suddenly, rigid with tension as he cupped her chin and forced her head up. He stared back into her eyes for a long moment, his gaze hot, before dropping his hand back at his side and telling her, "You remind me of my former right hand. She had eyes like that, too."

He disappeared into thought for a moment before his eyes settled back down on her, "I am not above the use of cruelty to God's end, Agent. I would learn to comply quickly, if I were you."

He walked past her without waiting for a response, his boots clicking against the tile.

It was a long time before she realized who was standing in the shadows: Neji.

She eyed him for a moment, waiting until he stepped forward and said simply, "He's lying. Petro is too noble for true cruelty."

They shared something in that moment as he helped her to her feet and said simply, "But to accomplish our mission, Agent, I will be."

TBC


End file.
